Deaf Ears & Solid Tears
by kaylx
Summary: COMPLETE(After Eppy: The Rivals) Ryan struggles to convince everyone about Oliver. What happens when everything boils over? Lot's of angst. :)
1. Chapter One

NOTE: I do not own any of these character's… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(This is a continuation after the episode, "The Rivals") Ryan struggles to convince everyone about Oliver. But will they believe him? Should he just turn and walk away? Or battle Oliver?

****

CHAPTER ONE:

**__**

"Three whole years fall on deaf ears

Are these snowflakes or solid tears? 

If you cant understand our fears,

It's not fair to me.."

Kelly – The Movielife

"Ryan…RYAN!" Seth screams, dangling from the patio doors. 

Ryan ignores his friend and carries on with his sleep. He doesn't want to be bothered. He knows what is coming for him. A long lecture …not just from Seth, or Sandy and Kirsten…but from everyone. After yesterday's little fistfight with Oliver, he'd thrown himself in the pool house and ignored the outside world. Sandy and Kirsten thought he should just cool off for one night before they went in for the kill.

Seth opened the door to the pool house. "Ryan…um, whoa…" he looks to the right and then to his left. The place is a mess. This wasn't like Ryan at all. "Dude, you've gone, like, all Summer on me. And that's not good thing." He says, referring to Summers raging blackouts he had to witness a couple of times.

"Go away, Seth. I'm not up for talking right now. I just want to sleep." Ryan spat out, twisting and turning in his sheets.

"Well…that's nothing new." Seth mumbled to himself, shutting the door to the pool house and going back inside to wait for Anna to pick him up for school. 

"Seth." Sandy said drinking his coffee

"Dad…" Seth responded, pulling out a comic book from his backpack then sitting down at the counter.

Sandy stares at his son

"Dad…" Seth looks up from his comic book with a twisted expression on his face. "Can I help you?" He asks

"No…" Sandy looks over to the pool house. "How's Ryan?"

The doorbell rang for Seth. "Go find out for yourself, Dad. But watch out, he might bite." Seth said trotting over to Anna who was wearing the exact outfit that he had on. "Yeah, Anna...love the selection you've got on for today. But might I suggest one thing?"

"What's that Seth?" Anna asks with a raised eyebrow.

Seth flipped her collar on her shirt down and smiles happily. "There. That's more like it."

Sandy considered staying home today, but after buying the Lighthouse the other day, he knew he should talk business with Jimmy a little and get everything sorted out. He also had to go over to his office and deal with his 'Judge Judy' cases that he was starting to ignore. He knew sooner or later that he would have to tell the company that he was leaving them to start up his own restaurant business. He felt good about it, he really did. But he somehow was going to miss it. For the first time in fifteen years, he felt young again. And this time…he wasn't surfing.

"Hey Ryan, looks like…" Sandy tried to choose the right words. "Looks like you've made yourself at home. But I think it's time that you get up. And just because you were suspended, doesn't mean you can't work on your school work." Ryan didn't respond. "I could stay home? We could talk?" Sandy asks.

"No."

"He's alive! You're alive! We're all alive!" Sandy shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

Ryan turned over on his side and glared at Sandy.

"Look, Kirsten is at the office all day today. And I have to go talk business with Jimmy this morning. So you're going to have the place all to yourself for awhile. And you are not allowed to go anywhere. And don't you think that we're not going to talk about what happened yesterday." Sandy said, pointing his finger at Ryan and raising his voice a little too loud as if he was talking to a toddler.

As soon as Sandy left, Ryan got up and wandered the house for awhile before deciding to go out for a little bike ride. He needed to clear his head. He thought about going down to the Crab Shack and getting a few extra shifts this week, but then decided he'd rather not. Working would just make him even more depressed. Instead, he felt like going over to the pier.

"Ahhahah, that's funny. Not." Seth said, joking around to Anna. "Seriously, it's like the dead has taken over her. Don't you think we should do something?" Seth said to Anna, looking at Summer who was sitting at a table starring at the wall ahead of her.

"Seth, I'm sure if she needs a friend, she'll come to us. We did say we were friends." Anna said, pulling him away from Summer's view. "How about we do something after school? Like…go to your house? I think captain Oats wants a re-match in Jenga."

"Are you sure she's Okay? She doesn't look okay. I mean that...well I don't know exactly what I mean. She just well…doesn't look good. And I haven't seen Marissa all day today…she needs a friend." Seth looked at Anna who has giving him a disapproved looked. "Jenga? My house? Sure!"

"_Who the hell does that Oliver kid think he is…he's sick. And he's after my girlfriend._" Ryan mumbled to himself. He had been sitting on the bench for so long that he had lost track of time. He was trying to think of a plan to get Marissa back. But the longer he thought about his plan, the longer he wanted to go over to Oilver's 'penthouse' and beat the shit out of him. But after deciding that he'd just end up back in Juvy or even worse, back with his mom, he decided just to cool off for awhile and head back home to the Cohen's house.

"…Captain Oats is not the sore loser Seth!"

"Oh really, so you're suggesting that I'm the sore loser?" He said, pinching Anna's nose.

There was a knock at the door of Seth's room.

"Is Ryan in here?" He said walking into Seth's room. "Oh, Hi Anna."

"Hi Mr.Cohen." Anna said

"No dad, Ryan's not here. I thought he was in the pool house—"

"No he's not there."

Ryan pedaled up into the Cohen's driveway and placed his bike on the side of the house. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He hadn't eaten anything all day and felt really sick to his stomach. He noticed Sandy's car in the driveway. "Great" he mumbled to himself and walked into the house and into the kitchen.

"And where were you?" Sandy asked, not waiting for an answer he said, "This has got to stop!" 

Ryan dared not to look at Sandy and walked into the living room to sit down. He knew how much lawyers liked to talk, so he thought he should take a seat, before Sandy was about to bite off his head.

"I was just out…thinking." Ryan replied looking to floor.

"Thinking? After I told you yesterday that you weren't allowed to go anywhere?" Sandy demanded. "Ryan this is stupid and what you're doing…that's stupid. Did you ever think of the consequences? You attacked Oliver!" Sandy yelled, taking a seat on the other couch. "Why, Ryan?" 

"Oliver said…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "He's a sick kid, Sandy! Maybe you don't see it, but I do! Oliver said I wasn't right for Marissa. He's going to hurt her Sandy! You have to trust me…" Ryan looked up from the floor and starred at Sandy. "I didn't mean to hit him. I just…I was angry. I wasn't looking for trouble."

"Well you found it. You're lucky you were only suspended for a week. I've already spoken to Dr. Kim…and as soon as you get back to school next week you still have to attend detention. It will be awhile until the board committee reaches a comment on you're little break-in." Sandy stood up. "As for now Ryan, I don't want you going anywhere. And don't go near Oliver, you understand?"

Ryan nods his head.

"Kirsten and I still need to chat about those fists of yours. We'll talk after dinner." Sandy left the room.

"Can we not talk about him?" Marissa asked, grabbing some more rice from the container on the ground of Oliver's penthouse.

"Sorry. I just thought maybe you wanted to talk about it." Oliver said looking at Marissa. "Say, why don't we go do something."

"Like?"

"Let's go see a movie. It's on me." Oliver said, raising to his feet. He extended his hand to Marissa and she grabbed it and met his face standing up. For a second their eyes locked on eachother. Oliver went into kiss her but Marissa pulled away.

"Sorry…" Marissa said grabbing her coat from the couch.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. So stupid of me...I mean I have a girlfriend and well you—"

"Don't" Marissa spat out at Oliver. "Ryan isn't my boyfriend anymore. Not after what he did to you."

There was a sense of relief that rushed over Oliver's face. Finally, he thought to himself, no more Ryan. Marissa is his now. She has nobody else but him. His plan is working.

"Ryan, you haven't eaten anything." Kirsten notices. She looks worried and glances at Sandy then to Seth.

Ryan stares at his food, pushing it around in his plate, ignoring Kirsten's comment.

"So…how was your day Seth?" Sandy asked, ignoring Kirsten's comment.

"Sucked…they changed the schools lunch menu just when I was starting to like it. It's like they have nothing better to do…so they change the food." Seth comments, standing up and taking his dish to the kitchen.

"Well you can always bring a lunch to school you know." Kirsten yells from the table.

"Yeah, because that's always cool." The telephone rings, and Seth picks it up. "Hello? Yeah hold on, he's right here. Ryan…it's for you." Seth hands his the phone and goes to the living room to catch up on his ps2.

Ryan looks surprised and takes the phone from Seth and walks out into the foyer. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ryan." 

"Who's this?" Ryan questions.

"It's Oliver."

There was a long silence. "What the hell do you want?" Ryan whispers into the phone, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Look Ryan, I called to apologize, for what happened the other day. Marissa is with me right now…we just got home from a movie. She's in the bathroom." Oliver says, trying to make Ryan jealous.

"Apology not excepted." Ryan spat into the receiver.

"Whoa, Ryan…you should really control your temper because I'm sure you don't want to get into something you know you can't win. Like Marissa."

"Yeah well… me and you…we're not over. It hasn't even begun." Ryan whispers into the phone. "You better not hurt her. I swear if you touch her…." Ryan raised his voice and Sandy walked into the foyer with a concerned look on his face. "Thanks for the info…I'll get started on the project. Bye" Ryan said and hangs up the phone.

"Who was that Ryan?" Sandy asked. He could see the anger in Ryan's eyes.

"Just someone from my English class. We're doing a project together"

"Oh okay." Sandy said, half believing him. "Kirsten and I want to talk with you in the kitchen."

Back in the kitchen Kirsten was standing at the sink looking out of the window. She didn't know what to think of anything right now. She didn't know how to deal with Ryan. Seth was never in trouble. She sort of wished that he would get into some trouble. The last time he was in trouble was when he was in the seventh grade and skipped school. It was nothing big, but it wasn't like him. Sure there was the IMAX theatre and the Range Rover incident that she didn't believe. But she let that go because she somehow sensed that it wasn't her son's fault at all. It must have been Ryan. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it because he was just starting to come around in their family.

Ryan took a seat at the counter. He could see Kirsten's face, she was worried. "Look guys, if you don't want me, I understand. I don't want to be a burden on you guys."

"Ryan, I thought I made it clear that we do want you. You are a part of this family, whether you like it or not. We have a responsibility." Sandy said

"I know, but all I've done here is cause you guys trouble." Ryan said, taking his head into his hands. "I don't know if this is going to work anymore…"

"Ryan…Sandy and I think its best if you talk to someone." Kirten said, putting her hand on his shoulder. Ryan flinched at her touch and starred at her.

"You think I'm crazy?" Ryan stood up and Sandy jumped in to settle him back down into his stool.

"No, Ryan you're not crazy! We just think that you need to let yourself out. You don't open up to anyone and I…well we need to know that you're okay. You can't keep everything bottled up inside of you. It's just going to blow up and by the time that happens…well who knows what will happen. We can lose you."

"I think that's already happened!" Ryan spat out. "And no, there's nothing wrong with me. Oliver…yeah. You guys just need to listen to me. I talk to you…you just don't listen to me." Ryan yells, making Kirsten uneasy.

"Well…we're listening right now." Sandy replies.


	2. Chapter Two

****

CHAPTER TWO

**__**

"I'm on the outside of love  
Always under or above  
I can't find my way in  
I try again and again…"

Inside Of Love – Nada Surf  


"No you guy's don't understand! Oliver…he is bad for Marissa. He is obsessed with her and I'm afraid he is going to hurt her. He's already tried to hurt himself for God's sake!" Sandy put his hands on Ryan's shoulders to calm in down. "You really want me to go to a Doctor?" Ryan asks, calming down.

"It's what's best for you." Whispers Kirsten.

"Fine…but I'm not lying." Ryan storms off to the pool house and slams the door.

Kirsten shudders. "Sandy…do you think we were too hard him?"

"No, definitely not." He points his finger towards the pool house. "And he better not pull another stunt! I'm going to go make a few phone calls. See if I can find someone to knock some sense into Ryan."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan sat down on his bed and picked up the book he was reading in English class. As much as he tried to focus on the book, he couldn't. He kept thinking about Oliver and Marissa. How could no one trust him after what he has done for Marissa. She is the only person he truly cares about right now. Oliver was in his way. He needed to get Oliver out of the picture for good. But how? He thought to himself. He then decided to go pay a little visit to Seth. Maybe he might have changed his mind about Oliver. Before Ryan could finished his thought Seth walked into the pool house.

"I guess we don't knock around here anymore." Ryan mumbled to himself.

"You okay? I couldn't help but overhear what mom and dad said to you. You want to talk about it?" Seth hesitated, "If you don't, I understand."

"Do you trust me?" Ryan asked

"Um…. Yeah, I guess. I mean you trust me don't you?"

"Yeah." Ryan signed. "Your parents don't believe me, but Oliver is bad news. He was the one on the phone after supper today and –"

Seth cut him off. "And what did he say?"

"Well he apologized to me about the fight. And he said I shouldn't get in something I can't win, like Marissa." He looked at Seth who did not understand him. "He hasn't won, Seth. I have to protect her!"

"Ryan, I don't get it, he apologized…what is there to worry about?."

"It was the way he said it." He looked to the floor. "You don't believe me." 

"It's not that I don't believe you…it's just that well…it's over Ryan and you screwed up. You broke into the file office, then you broke into Marissa's locker. He does have a reason to hate you."  


With that said, Ryan could no longer control himself. He wanted too much to pound Seth's face in, but he knew that, that wouldn't accomplish anything. Only more trouble with Sandy and Kirsten. Instead he clenched his fist to his sides and glared at Seth, who looked like a little kid that stole a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Chill out Ryan. Jesus, what's with you?" Seth asked with a concerned look on his face.

Ryan didn't chill out.

Ryan walked up to Seth and met him face to face. "How can you tell me to chill out? If there was some psycho after Anna, I'm sure you'd feel the same way I feel!" Ryan yelled at Seth.

"That's not the point…you can't—" Seth saw Ryan's face change and knew exactly what he was about to do. 

Seth ducked down and Ryan's fist when through the plaster in the wall. Stunned, Ryan pulled back his fist, clenched it and rested it in this other hand. The blood from the blow to his hand dripped to the floor and Ryan walked off to the bathroom.

Seth stood there puzzled. As much as he wanted to check up on Ryan, he didn't. Instead he went back to the house, to his room and slammed his door shut. Seconds later his father knocked on the door.

"Go away." Yelled out to his father, but it was too late his dad was already in his room.

"It's 9 o'clock Seth, what with the door slamming?" Sandy could sense that his son was afraid of something.

There was no answer to Seth.

"So…now you're all of a sudden the silent type?" Sandy said, sitting down on his bed. 

Seth was silent for a few minutes. He didn't know if Ryan was hurt or not. He also didn't know if he should tell his dad about his conversation with Ryan. Or the fact that Ryan had tried to punch his head in.

"I think you should go check on Ryan." Seth mumbled.

"What's wrong with Ryan?" Sandy was concerned now.

"I don't feel like talking right now dad. Just go check on him okay? I'm going to bed." 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan was still in the bathroom when he heard a knock at the glass door of the pool house. He was cleaning the blood off his fist when Sandy walked in and noticed Ryan wasn't in there. For a second Sandy thought that he had ran off on him again, but then Ryan came out of the bathroom hiding his fist in his other hand.

Sandy noticed Ryan's eyes. Sad and so distant from the world just like the first day he met him in juvy. He knew that Ryan wasn't okay. "Seth told me I should check on you…" He looked over to his right and noticed the big hole in the wall. "What happened?" Sandy's voice rose.

"Seth-" He thought to himself, this wasn't the time to go and blame his son. It was his fault, not Seth's. "I did it, sorry."

"After what we talked about in the kitchen?" Sandy inspected the hole in the wall.

Ryan could sense the coldness in Sandy's voice. 

Ryan went over to his bed and sat down. "I'm sorry…" He hesitated then rested his head in his hands trying to control his emotions and the headache that was growing in the back of his head.

Sandy went and took a seat next to him on his bed and noticed Ryan's swelled fist. "It's okay. We'll just throw a poster over the hole and it will be gone."

Ryan knew that throwing a poster over a hole wouldn't change anything. Throwing anything on top of something that is damaged won't change the outcome. He has done that too many times in his life. All that's all that's left right now in Ryan's life…holes. Soon, the Cohen's would realize that a poster wouldn't fix anything. He can't change who he is.

"You'll need some ice for that fist of yours," Sandy commented. "Come on lets go to the kitchen."

Ryan iced his hand while Sandy tried to talk to him. He was too caught up in his own head that he hadn't heard a single word Sandy was telling him. All he could think about was Oliver. Oliver was probably with Marissa right now. Ryan's face twisted with anger.

"…Ryan?" Sandy looked at him. "Are you listening?"

"I'm tired." Ryan walked off towards the pool house and left Sandy standing in the middle of kitchen, shaken.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The week went by too slow for Ryan. He stayed in the pool house most of the time, only going into the house to eat dinner with the Cohen's. Seth was still uneasy with him and he wasn't sure if he was going to forgive him for almost punching his face in. It seemed like he was distancing himself away from the Cohen's. Ryan had the urge to run away but didn't have the strength too. He had worn himself down by keeping up late at night, worrying over Marissa and concentrating on a plan to win her back from Oliver.

Ryan walked into the kitchen and sat himself on a stool at the kitchen counter. Seth was already there sipping coffee and reading a comic book, which he knew Seth had already read like 50 times.

Sandy walked into the kitchen, "So Ryan, I'll pick you up after detention today, okay" He said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Ryan poured himself a bowl of Captain Crunch and starred at it for the longest time before dumping it back into the box. He wasn't really that hungry this morning.

"No, it's okay…I'll just walk home."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's a far walk; I'll pick you up. No buts." Sandy walked away from the kitchen before Ryan could protest.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth and Ryan drove to school in silence. As soon as they got to school Seth separated from him and went off to find Anna. Ryan spotting Marissa alone and trotted up to her.

"Hey…" Ryan said examining the hallways looking for Oliver to pop up from nowhere.

"What do you want?" She asked not looking him.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to fight him and I didn't mean to hurt you like I did." 

"Look Ryan, it's over. We're done."

Marissa could see the pain in Ryan's eyes as he walked off down the hall and turned the corner. Just then Oliver came up behind her.

"Hey!" He shouted.

Startled, she turned around and hugged Oliver. "Hey…" Marissa was still thinking about Ryan. 

"What's the matter?" Oliver could see that she was distracted. "Ryan? I heard he's back at school today. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." She said, fidgeting with the lock on her locker. "He just apologized to me."

Oliver was getting mad. "He doesn't deserve you Marissa…you deserve someone much better than him…"

"I told him it's over, Oliver."

"Oh…"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  
At lunchtime Ryan realized he had no one to sit with. Everyone he knew was mad at him. So he took a seat by himself at the far corner of the food court. And instead of eating, he pulled out his books and started to work on his Math.

"Hey what's up…?" Luke asked, sitting down at the table and pulling out his lunch.

"Oh hey." Boy, was Ryan glad Luke and him had sorted out their differences. 

"Where is everyone?" 

Ryan glanced over the to the other side of the food court. Seth, Anna, Marissa, Summer and Oliver were all at a table eating lunch. "Over there." He said, pointing over to the table. "Look I've got to go see Mr. Hatchery about an assignment." He lied and walked away.

Ryan felt like he was back in Chino, he was lost. He barely paid attention in any of his classes and had gotten in trouble in English class for dozing off. He knew he couldn't stay he here. He felt too awkward being around all these rich brats. He was tempted to skip the afternoon, but he knew he was already in too much trouble. Besides, he had to go to detention.

In detention Ryan found Oliver sitting at a table working. Ryan knew for sure that Oliver must have gotten detention just to make him go crazy. And it was working.

"Ryan…" Oliver said, walking toward his desk. "I heard the bad news. Sorry to hear."

"Bastard…" Ryan mumbled

"Marissa and I, we have something…And whether you like or not, its there. Always will be."

The teacher walked into the detention room and ordered Oliver to sit back down at his desk.

"You better pray for yourself." Ryan said, as Oliver was making his way back to his desk. He then stopped short and turned around and glared at Ryan.

"Mr.Trast, desk…now." The teacher shouted out to him.

"It's nothing personal Ryan, but you should really let go of that bad-boy image…it's getting too old. I mean look at yourself. How is anyone ever going to believe someone as _pathetic_ as you are." Oliver said.

Ryan stood up and charged Oliver.

"Boys! That's enough!" The teacher yelled, splitting up the two boys.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan sat back in a chair in Dr. Kim's office waiting for Sandy to come. Dr. Kim had called him as soon she heard there was a fight. 

Ryan looked to the floor and spaced out. He was beating himself up inside his head. He knew he blew his only chance at getting back at Oliver. And the Cohen's were for sure going to kick him out. He was nothing. Why would they want something as broken as he is?

Sandy and Dr. Kim walked into her office and Sandy took a seat next to Ryan.

"Mr. Cohen, I'm not sure this is working for Ryan—"

Sandy cut her off. "Look, Dr. Kim…have you talked with Oliver?"

"Yes, I have and I've also had a little chat with Ryan. And Ryan doesn't want anything more than to leave this place and go to a public school."

Sandy shot a look at Ryan. "Is this true?"

Ryan didn't say anything. He kept staring at the floor.

"Dr. Kim…he's not thinking straight. We haven't talked about this." He looked at Ryan. "Why did you fight him? What happened this time?" Sandy asked

Ryan looked up from the floor and met Sandy's eyes. "You don't trust me." He shot back with raw emotion. "Whatever I say, you'll just use against me."

Sandy turned to Dr. Kim. "Can you reconsider everything? I mean…let me talk to Ryan and get back with you this week?"

Dr. Kim starred at Ryan, who was for sure not on the same page as everyone else in the room. "I'm going to have to suspend him, again. Two-day suspension should do this time. And when you come back Ryan, I want you to have your life settled down, if not, your out of there."

Ryan nodded in agreement and with Sandy he left the Dean's office.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Just go down and talk to him, if it's bugging you this much." Anna said to Seth, lying down on his bed with Captain Oats in her hands.

Seth paced the floor of his bedroom. "No…he should come to me. He's the one who almost hit me…I mean how can he do that? He's crazy…he's…Why me? Why should I go and apologize for ducking low and missing his fist in my face? That's stupid."  


"You're right Seth." Anna said sarcastically. "Let the humble boy come to you and open up." Anna laughs and tosses Captain Oats on the bed. "Come let's go play some Troll Quest."

Seth and Anna made their way downstairs and found Ryan watching TV. As soon as Ryan saw Seth he turned off the TV and tossed the remote on the couch and walked passed him and Anna. He needed to get out of the Cohen's house. He didn't feel welcomed, with Seth there. He knew he couldn't leave though, he had an appointment with Dr. Harris. He couldn't believe that Sandy and Kirsten were making him talk to a total stranger. There was no way Ryan was going to open up to a total stranger, let alone anyone. He has never really talked to someone about how he felt. The only person he was open to was Theresa. She understood him and cared for him. She always believed and trusted in him. He needed to see her not some stupid doctor. 

Back in the den Anna and Seth were playing PS2, while Ryan was in the kitchen eating an early supper because he had to go see Dr. Harris, the therapist.

"Looks like he doesn't feel like chatting, huh?" Anna whispers.

"When does he ever?" Seth spat out too loud.

"Seth, keep it down."

"If he can't talk, then I guess can't hear." Seth shouted out, making sure Ryan was going to hear him from the Kitchen. And he did. Ryan walked over to the den and stood there leaning against the wall. "Why, hello there Ryan." He smirked and continued playing Troll Quest.

"I'm not deaf."

"Good to hear then. I guess you solved my hypothesis."

Before Ryan could say a word to Seth, Sandy walked in and patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Okay let's go." Sandy said and Ryan gave him a glare. "It's not that bad…" Sandy went on, trying to reassure Ryan. But whom was he kidding? Of course it was bad. Ryan was in a hole. He dug it, but doesn't seem to want to get out of it.

At the doctor's office, Ryan and Sandy sat in silence waiting for Ryan to be called upon. The tiny waiting room was small and Ryan felt claustrophobic. Sandy was sitting way too close to him. Ryan stood up and paced the tiny room. He needed a cigarette real bad right now but he had promised the Cohen's he would stop his bad habit. He still had a couple of cigarettes left in his pack in his jacket. He walked over to his jacket and pulled out the smokes and a lighter.

Sandy looked up from his magazine. "Thought you quit?"

"I did. Do you mind?" He asked motioning towards the door. Just as he said that the doctor opened the door to his office and a girl, a bit younger than Ryan did, walked out of the office. The doctor called him in and Sandy went back to reading his magazine.

Dr. Harris' office was a lot bigger than the small waiting area outside his office. There were 2 couches, 2 chairs and a desk all scattered in the room. Dr. Harris motioned him to take a seat in a chair opposite of himself. He then opened a file, which Ryan assumed contained everything about him, and studied it for awhile.

"I'm Dr. Harris, Ryan. But you can call me Greg if you like." Dr. Harris said, closing Ryan's file on his lap. Ryan nodded and looked around the room. "Did you want to tell me why you think Sandy brought you here?"

Ryan starred at the wall opposite of him, while Greg bore holes into him. Ryan wasn't going to open up to this 'Greg' guy. He looked like wasn't the most pleasant guy to open up to either. He wore a black suit, which looked way too small for his size. If Ryan was thinking about bolting out of the room, he was wrong. The doctor would for sure squish him, even hurt him. He was twice the size Ryan was.

"You just want to sit here for a half hour then?" Greg asked, opening Ryan's file again. Ryan didn't respond. "Sandy told me you broke into the school. What was that about, Ryan?" Still, there was no answer from Ryan. "Look Ryan, if you want me to help you, you have to talk to me. I can't have a conversation with myself. I'm here to help you."

"Look," Ryan said, turning towards Greg. "I'm not here for any help."

"Then tell me what you are here for then." Greg asked, studying Ryan.

"Mr. Cohen—Sandy, he's making me. This is not my choice." Ryan said, raising his voice.

"He's making you, because he is concerned about you Ryan. Now tell me why you broke into the school. What happened?" The doctor asked.

Ryan gave in and lowered his head to the ground and began explaining everything to the doctor. "This guy—Oliver, he's after my girlfriend, well not girlfriend anymore. He is not stable and he could hurt her. So I broke into the file room to prove to her that he is sick." Ryan looked at the doctor. "He cut his wrists over a girl at his old school, and now all of a sudden he in transferred over to _my_ school. He's bad news…no one believes me."

The doctor nodded for Ryan to go on.

"See you don't believe me!" Ryan bellowed out to the doctor. "No one does."

"Now Ryan, I didn't say I didn't believe you. Just calm down." Ryan rested into his seat, and starred at the doctor. "Tell me about you family."

Which family, Ryan thought to himself. The Cohen's or the Attwood's, Ryan hesitated then asked, "Which family?"

"Not the Cohen's, yours."

"They are history." Ryan was not saying anymore then that. He sat there for the longest time, playing with the cuff on his wrist. The doctor sat there and studied Ryan, while making notes in his book.

"Okay, well time's up Ryan. I'll see you next week." The doctor said.

Ryan rushed out of the office and grabbed his jacket and pack of smokes next to Sandy. Startled, Sandy rose to his feet and followed Ryan out of the building and to his car. Ryan sat in the passenger seat and lit up his smoke. He knew Sandy didn't allow Ryan smoking, especially in the car.

"Hey, put that out." Sandy said. Ryan rolled down his window and tossed the half-smoked cigarette out the window. Sandy studied Ryan closely on the ride back home. There was no talking the whole time. Ryan was slouched down in the passenger seat with his head leaning against the window, starring out at the scenery.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was a Wednesday afternoon and Ryan had been in the pool house most of the day. It was the last day of his suspension. Sandy had come by a couple of times, trying to talk to him, but Ryan had turned the other cheek on him. He did though, agree to continue going to Harbor. It was close to dinnertime, when there was a knock at the door to the pool house. It was Luke.


	3. Chapter Three

****

CHAPTER THREE:

"I never sleep  
I been awake for what feels like a year  
'Cause when I dream,  
it my mind puts a face  
to each one of my fears  
I'm exhausted by my imagination…"

Exhausted – Joseph Arthur

"Hey Luke…what are you doing here?" Ryan was surprised by his visit.

"Oh…Mr. Cohen let me in. Thought I'd drop by." Luke said, taking a seat on a couch. "Shit…" Luke mumbled to himself. "This is quite the place you got here." He said looking around the pool house.

"So you came here to inspect?" Ryan questioned.

"No…I thought you might need some company." Luke said. Ryan could tell there was something else. "Actually…no one's home at my place. My mom's gone with my brother's to her mom's place and well my dad…he's out of town." Luke stood up and went over to the small fridge at the far corner of the pool house, pulling out a bottle of water. "I'm bored, okay…where's Seth. I thought that maybe you know we could play some playstation. Well kick his ass is more like it."

"We're not talking."

"Oliver?" Luke questioned, sipping the bottle of water and walking back over to the couch. "That kid's a bitch. You know what he's doing, huh? Luke asked.

Of course he knew what Oliver was up to, he wasn't stupid. "Yeah Luke, he's trying to steal Marissa from me. And I've also had a bit of time to think about it." Ryan said, referring to the week suspension he was given, plus the two-day suspension.

"I can help you, like I said before. I'll kick that kid's ass if you want."

"So you believe me?"

"Of course I do. I saw how he acted in Palm Springs. That kid is messed up."

"Yeah I know…the Cohen's are making me talk to some doctor…they think I'm overreacting about everything…" Ryan trailed off. "Seth doesn't even believe me."

Confused, Luke stood up. "Come on let's get the hell out of here. Let's go get drunk—do something."

"Hold on. I don't know if I'm allowed out. I'll go ask." Ryan said, and left the pool house leaving Luke all by himself there. 

Ryan walked into the house and heard the playstation on in the den. He walked into the den. "Where's you dad?" Ryan asked Seth.

"Him and mom just left. They'll be back with supper soon." Seth said, not looking up from his game. "Want to play?" he asked. 

Surprised by the invitation he said, "Luke's over…we were about to head out somewhere." 

"Luke's over?" Seth replied puzzled. "Why would Luke be over?"

"Who knows…why would you be mad at me?" Ryan questioned.

"I'm not mad…just disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"Yeah…from what you've been doing this past week. I'm more concerned really. I'm not mad or angry with you anymore. I just want to help a buddy out." Seth said, turning off the TV. "So…what are you and Luke doing?"

"Going out. Doing stuff…I don't know. Just geting out of here or something—anything." 

"Can I come? I mean…well if it's okay? Is _stuff_ okay with us?" Seth asked

Ryan stood there for a moment. "I don't know Seth. I don't know what else to do to make you and your family and everybody in this place believe me. Luke seems to be the only one who does." Ryan stopped. Maybe he should let Seth come along. He wasn't exactly sure what him and Luke were going to do tonight. But maybe if Seth came along with them, Sandy and Kirsten wouldn't mind letting him go out tonight. "Fine. You can come, but you have to call your parents and tell them we won't be home for dinner."

"Okay!" Seth sprang up from the couch and grabbed the phone. After a short conversation with his parents, Luke, Ryan and him went off to the Crab Shack to have dinner.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"How was dinner guys?" Sandy asked as the boys walked in. "Must have gone well, since you two are now talking." 

Seth glared at his dad. "Dinner was fine dad. And yeah… if you must know…Ryan and I are now on good terms. Isn't that right Ryan?" Seth asked, punching his buddy in the arm.

"Yeah…" Ryan replied walking off to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He felt so relieved that Luke and him had finally convinced Seth that Oliver is psycho. Oliver had gone to Crab Shack tonight and confronted Ryan in front of both Luke and Seth. Oliver mentioned that he was picking up dinner for Marissa, who was back at his penthouse waiting for him. The tone in Oliver's voice had convinced Seth right there and then that he was up to something. The way he smirked at Ryan really pissed Seth off. 

Sandy walked into the kitchen, while Seth walked off to his room to continue studying for a test. 

"So…we never got to talk about what happened at Mr. Harris' office. Want to tell me why you were so mad?" Sandy asked, pouring himself a coffee. Kirsten walked in on them and was now leaning against the counter facing the two of them.

"I'm not up for talking…especially to strangers. He doesn't know anything about me. Do I really have to go see him again? I mean…" Ryan trailed off and shut his eyes. He couldn't look Sandy and Kirsten in the face. "…If you want me to talk…I'll talk. Just no more doctors okay? We just don't get along together." 

Kirsten was surprised of what Ryan had said. Could he really be telling the truth? She never thought Ryan would open up to them. 

Sandy was silent for few moments. "Okay. You don't have to see him anymore. I just wanted you to get help for…whatever is going on with you right now. You have to promise Kirsten and I that you will talk to us. And right now would be a good time to start." Sandy added.

"You want me to tell you guys how much I screwed up? How much I fear that you guys are going to kick me out? Is that it?" Ryan said, playing with the cuff on his wrist.

"Is that what you think?" Kirsten said.

"Well I did get suspended…twice. And then you send me to some shrink. What else am I supposed to think."

"Look Ryan…" Sandy looked for the right words. "You did screw up." Kirsten shot him a look…not the right words he was thinking of, Sandy thought. "But there are times for mistakes. And you have made a few of those. But we would never think about kicking you out of here. You are family. Just promise that you will not fight Oliver again. And that you will come and talk to Kirsten and I if anything comes up, okay?"

"Okay, I promise." Ryan replied, half believing himself. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Don't you think it's kind of weird that Luke is driving the boys to school this morning?" Sandy asked Kirsten putting on his tie in their bedroom. 

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Ever since his dad came out of the closet he's been different. Seth and Ryan are probably the only one's at Harbor that except the fact that Luke's father is gay. So I guess in a way were kind of lucky to have two wonderful young men in the family."

"Not three?" Sandy asked, moving closer to his wife who was buttoning up her blouse. 

"No, just two." She laughed and kissed her husband on the forehead. 

Down in the kitchen Seth, Ryan and Luke were getting ready to head out. Seth was still sitting down at the kitchen table reading the Art and Leisure section of the newspaper, drinking his coffee.

"Come on Cohen…were going to be late." Luke said, looking at his watch.

"Whoa, poster boy actually wants to be on time for school…that's a first." Seth said, surprised that Luke didn't mention the fact that he had called him 'poster boy'.

**

  
Ryan and Luke walked into their first period class together. They paid no attention to their English teacher, who was blabbing on about some dead poet. Each, were thinking of a way to show Marissa that Oliver is bad news for her. Luke had the idea of just beating the shit out of him until he confesses…Ryan on the other hand, thought of a better plan. He needed to get Oliver alone. He needed Oliver to confess his feeling for Marissa, with her listening…but how he thought to himself.

"Tape recorder…" Ryan whispered to Luke, who was doodling on a piece of paper. Luke gave him a confusing look. "I need to talk to Oliver and tape the conversation, he'll…" 

"Ryan, Luke…please pay attention." The teacher yelled out to the boys. 

As soon as the teacher turned his back, Luke said, "Shit…why didn't I think of that?"

Did Ryan really need to respond to that? "Do you have a recorder I can borrow?" Ryan whispered.

"My dad's got one. We'll swing by his place after school today."

"Thanks." Ryan replied

"Ryan, can you please go out in the hall." The teacher yelled out from the chalkboard, without turning around to face him.

Luke gave him a sympathetic look and Ryan headed out of the room. As soon as he walked out he bumped into Marissa.

"Sorry…" Ryan mumbled.

Marissa stopped and for the first time in two weeks she spoke to Ryan. "My fault…I'm just getting a book from my locker." Ryan nodded and leaned against the lockers. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"I…We're doing…you know one of those experiments…where I can't listen to something and I go back in…you know…" Ryan trailed off, hoping that Marissa would buy his story. She gave him a curious look. Ryan didn't want to tell her that he got kicked out of the classroom. It would just make her more mad at him. "So…I'm sorry."

"I know." Marissa gave him a promising look. "It's just that…I was scared when you went after Oliver. He didn't deserve it." Ryan bit his lower lip. He didn't want to fight with Marissa. "He's sorry you know?"

"Yeah?" Ryan said without meeting her eyes. 

"Yeah…look I better get going."

"Okay."

"Okay." 

Just as Marissa turned the corner, Mr. Schmidt walked out the classroom and closed the door behind him. Ryan stood against a locker with his arms crossed, waiting for a lecture from his English teacher.

"Mr. Atwood, you're a smart student. Every assignment you hand in is very well done and so therefor, I'd like more communication from you in the classroom…and that doesn't mean talking and disrupting the class. You have a 5,000 words essay due tomorrow morning on the importance on communication. Get back into class, before I change my mind and report you to Dr. Kim" Mr. Schmidt said. And with that Ryan walked back into class right before the bell rang.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was after school….

"Seth! Wait up!" Summer called out to him the hallways. "Can I take you up on your offer?" 

"Um…and what offer would that be?" Seth questioned

"TiVo and John Stewart…my parents aren't home and well…Marissa is going over to Oliver's tonight and I have nothing to do."

"Oh right! TiVo and John Stewart, how could I forget." Seth said, nudging Summer's shoulder. "Sure…um yeah. Sure." Just then Anna came up behind Seth and closed her hands around his eyes.

"Guess who?" She said.

"Um…Ryan? Is that you?" 

"No silly, it's me!" Anna said, laughing and splitting up Summer and Seth's confrontation. "So what are you doing tonight?"

Seth glanced at Summer. "Um…Ryan and I…we have this thing. You know guys' stuff. Curling our hair, putting nail polish on…the whole bit. You could join us, but I'm not so sure if Ryan would be comfortable. You know how he gets…"

"Right…well I've got to go then. Call me later." Anna said, then left.

"Cohen?" Summer questioned. "Why did you lie?"

"Look Summer…no questions, okay? TiVo and John Stewart…that's it…that's all. Come on lets go…" Seth said, pulling Summer by his side.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke and Ryan drove over to Luke's dad place to search for a tape recorder. They searched high and low, but still no tape recorder. After about an hour of searching the two boys settled down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"Sorry, I thought my dad had one. Maybe he took it with him…I don't know. I guess we'll just have to buy one." Luke said, flipping through the channels. "Hey wait a second…" Luke got up and found the tape recorder on top of the VCR, next to a tape labeled Brian, Luke's dad, and Charlie. Luke threw the tape recorder at Ryan and put the tape into the VCR.

"What's that?" Ryan asked, looking at Luke who didn't seem to notice he was talking to him. "Luke?"

Luke pressed play and noticed that the tape showed the display of the living room. He fast-forwarded it a few minutes and some guy walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Then he noticed his dad come in and sit next the man.

"Luke…maybe you should turn that off." Ryan said to his friend, realizing that this wasn't just your ordinary family home video. Luke didn't respond. Instead he fast-forwarded it more. "Come on Luke, turn it off." Just then on the screen, his father had begun kissing the other man. "Luke?" Still nothing. This time Ryan stood up and turned off the TV. Luke just stood there for a second then grabbed the tape out of the VCR and chucked it across the room, smashing it into a wall.

"He told my mom that he was taking a break and…he'd stopped seeing guys, so that he could spend more time with the family…you know to figure things out…" Luke trailed off and Ryan could tell that he was almost at the verge of tears. "Fuck him." Luke shouted. "That fucking bastard…come on lets go, we have the tape recorder."

Ryan was speechless. He didn't know what to tell Luke. "Uh…come on…lets just head back to my place…figure things out."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So Summer…want to check out my room, I got this sweeeeet ceiling fan. The wind on it…uh it's the best!" Seth said, swirling his index finger in the air.

"Sure Cohen…can't wait!" Summer said, sarcastically. "What does that mother of yours feed you!"

"What was that?" Seth said, making his way up to his room. When he got to his room he flipped on the switch for the fan. "Look at…the rotation…the…Summer?" Before Seth could say another word Summer gave him a kiss.

"Sorry…" Summer blurted out.

"No." Summer gave him a curious look.

"No?"

"Don't stop…I like it." Seth said, attacking her with his lips. "You know how long I've been waiting for this? Well I mean since…the last time this happened…" He trailed off, kissing her more.

Summer pushed him away. "Wait…no…what about Anna? I mean we're friends." Seth gave her a sarcastic look. "Okay…maybe not _friends_ but still…"

"Summer, I have been thinking about you. About you a lot…and well I think I made a bad decision. No a terrible decision. Anna and I…were like…you were right when you said that we are like brother and sister. I mean…well you know what I mean. I like you, a lot." Seth said, sitting down on his bed. "You didn't just come over to my house to watch some John Stewart did you? You like me too…I know you do."

"Cohen…" She sat down next to him on his bed. "You're right, I think you're funny, cute, adorable…kind of a dork…we have to tell Anna. You have to tell her, if this is going to work."

Seth was shocked. "So I'm adorable?" Seth nudged her side.

"Ewww…no." She said sarcastically.

"That's my girl." Seth went in on her to kiss her more. Then there was a knock at the door. Ryan and Luke walked in on the two.

"Cohen…Summer?" Luke said, looking at the two of them sitting on Seth's bed. "Um…what are you guys up to?"

"Do we even need to ask that question?" Ryan mumbled to Luke.

"Studying…we're studying for a test. Oh my…look at the time. I have to go guys! Bye boys!" Summer said. She then left the room.

Seth had a smirk on his face. "What can I say? So…what's up?"

Ryan pulled out a tape recorder and flashed it at Seth. "We're going to tape record Oliver. He'll confess to me…he thinks no one will believe me. Which is true…so now I have proof."

"Awesome." Seth responded

Ryan glanced at Luke who was still a little shaken from the video he had just watched. Luke told him in the car that he didn't want to go home. He couldn't face his family right now.

"Do you think your mom and dad will let Luke crash here tonight?" Seth looked at Luke, who seemed to look okay, given the conditions that his head was probably contaminated with too much water from playing water polo. Ryan could see the look of confusion on Seth's face. He looked at Luke.

"Family issues." Luke replied to Seth's unspoken question that lingered in the air. "So who's up for some playstation? We'll talk Oliver business while we're at it."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy walked into the house. It was just after dinner and he had promised Kirsten that he would be there for dinner. Lately he had been skipping dinner, with his new business, plus his job at the firm. He was beginning to tire himself down. When he was about to head home from his office he got a phone call by Dr. Kim, which ruined his night. He didn't want to fight with Ryan anymore, but he knew that something had to be done.

"Hey Sandy…" Kirsten shot him a look. "Dinner's in the fridge."

"Thanks." He said, pulling out a plate of chicken stew. He set the plate down in the microwave and walked into the den. He was a little shocked to see Seth, Ryan and Luke all getting alone. "Hey guys."

Ryan and Luke gave him a nod.

"Hey dad." Seth said, without looking away from the television.

Sandy walked into the kitchen and grabbed the hot food out of the microwave and sat with his wife at the dinner table.

"So—" Kirsten began, but was cut short.

Sandy held out his hand to stop her from talking. "Don't, I've had a long day."

"Did you think owning a restaurant would make your life less hectic than it already is?" Kirsten questioned.

"No it's not the restaurant." He said, pulling his fork out of his mouth and pointing in the direction of the den, where the three boys sat and played playstation. "It's Ryan."

"What about Ryan?"

"He ditched detention. Dr. Kim is not too happy with him right now. She told me that if Ryan doesn't straighten his act out, he's gone. Real soon." Sandy explained to his wife. "God—I hate fighting with him. But how could he miss detention and just sit there in front of us acting like we don't know anything!"

Kirsten didn't say anything.

"Why am I always the bad cop?" Sandy asked, standing up to take away his plate of food that he had picked away at.

"Because you are good at it."

Sandy sighed. "Guess I'll go in for the kill to get it over with." 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

*I know this wasn't the best chapter…but I tried. Don't worry next chapter will be action filled!

Thanks for those who reviewed!


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

__

"We were doomed from the start, as lovers are. 

Why am I doing this?

Digging my own grave. 

Though it's shallow, I would lie in it."

Flying At Tree Level – Brand New

"Hey mom, can Luke crash here tonight?" Seth asked his mom, interrupting his parents discussion.

"It's a school night, Seth. No." Kirsten said.

"I know…He just doesn't want to go home. He's dealing with a lot right now. Please?" Seth begged his mom. Ryan had forced Seth in the den to go and ask his parents if Luke could sleep over. Ryan knew that he would get a 'no'.

"Fine." Kirsten wasn't up for fighting with her son. 

Seth walked back into the den. "Yeah, you're allowed." Seth told Luke, who was beating Ryan's ass at playstation. "Come on Ryan…this is a disgrace…. Oh…oh…there ya go…"

"Seth, shut up."

"Shutting up." Seth said, pulling his fingers to his mouth and closing an invisible zipper.

Sandy walked into the den and sat down in an empty seat.

"Seth, why don't you go show Luke your room." Seth demanded from his son.

"Um…he's already seen my room." Seth gave him a confused look. "Besides we're like seventeen not seven."

Sandy gave his son _the look_. Without complaining anymore, Seth and Luke went off to his bedroom. Ryan wasn't sure why Sandy wanted to talk to him alone. He wasn't in any trouble at school today, besides English class. But Mr. Schmidt said he wouldn't bother telling Dr. Kim.

"Ryan—"

"If this is about English class…" Sandy gave him a startled look. "What? What did I do?" Ryan put down the playstation controller.

"What happened in English?" Sandy ordered.

"Nothing." Ryan said, trying to force a smile on his face.

"Where were you after school today?"

"I was with Luke, why?"

"What happened with detention?"

"Shit." Ryan mumbled to himself. He had totally forgotten about detention. He had been caught up with trying to get back at Oliver. Ryan could see the disappointed look on Sandy's face. "I forgot."

"How can you forget about that? You do realize that Dr. Kim won't take that as an excuse? You've been trying so hard to keep yourself in that school. This is unacceptable, Ryan! First you break into the school, then you get suspended for fighting Oliver, and again you get suspended for the same thing…and now you 'forget' to go to detention. You've been going for the longest time. This is not something you 'forget'. You skipped it, didn't you?"

"No…I didn't. I'm sorry. I'll suffer the consequences."

"Oh, don't worry, there will be consequences to suffer for. Not just from Dr. Kim, but from Kirsten and I as well."

Ryan lowered his head. "I'm sorry", he said, his voice strained.

"Where did you and Luke go after school today?" Sandy questioned.

"Nowhere…we just went over to his place." Ryan said. He still wasn't looking at Sandy.

"So you went over to his place after I told you before that you were supposed to come directly home after detention?"

Ryan was at a loss for words. He was caught up in all his emotions. He didn't remember Sandy ever telling him that. He had the urge to pull out a cigarette. He couldn't handle being yelled at right now. It reminded him of his mother and her loser boyfriends she used to bring around the house. They would always yell at him for being inconsiderate of his mother's feeling. He usually ended up beaten and he'd sneak off to go stay with Theresa on those nights.

Sandy was still telling him how disappointed he was. "OKAY!" Ryan yelled, stopping Sandy from talking. "I know…you don't have to fucking throw it in my face, like everyone else does! I get it…" Ryan shouted, then left the room in a hurry. 

Ryan slammed the door to the pool house and kicked himself for yelling at Sandy for something he didn't do. It was his fault for being messed up right now, not Sandy's. 

Ryan lay down on his bed and lit up a cigarette.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

****

"Drive me home?" Marissa asked, stretching off the couch.

Oliver looks at his watch; it was eleven o'clock at night. "Just crash here tonight…tell your dad you're sleeping at your mom's house, okay? I'm so tired right now."

"Oh, Yeah sure…" Marissa picked up the phone and called her dad. "Hi dad…Yeah I'm at Oliver's…No, I'm going over to mom's tonight…Yeah I will, love you too…Okay bye."

Oliver went to his room and pulled the sheets down on his bed. "I claim the left side of the bed…here you can wear these." He handed Marissa a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. "It's not the most comfortable thing to wear, but it will do."

"Thanks…" Marissa went and changed in the bathroom. When she came out of the bathroom Oliver was already snuggled into the bed with the lights off. Marissa slid in the bed next to him.

Oliver starred up at the ceiling for a long time before turning over on his side and facing Marissa. She was fast asleep. He uncovered his hand from the blanket and pushed her hair aside so that he could see her face. He starred at her for the longest time, before going to bed.

+++++

Ryan was restless throughout the night. He finally went to bed at midnight, just before he finished writing his 5,000-word essay for Mr. Schmidt. He couldn't fall asleep, though. So, he decided to grab something to drink from the kitchen. When he walked into the kitchen, he found Seth raiding the fridge. 

"Hey…" Seth said, pulling his head out of the fridge. "God, I can't sleep…Luke is snoring like a freaking monkey upstairs!"

"Monkey's snore?" Ryan asked, pulling out juice from the fridge.

"Um…sure they do. So, why are you up? It's, like, three o'clock in the morning." Seth questioned.

"Just can't sleep…" Ryan said, gulping down orange juice.

Sandy walked into the kitchen with his eyes closed and both boys froze, starring at him cautiously. Sandy walked over to the fridge and immediately opened his eyes and gasped.

"Oh God, you guys scared me!" Sandy said, holding his chest. "What are you two doing? It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Same thing you are." Seth said.

"Can't sleep, huh?

Both boys nodded.

"Well I'm off…Luke is probably missing the company of the Seth Cohen wilderness…oh God, did I just say that?" Seth said, wandering off towards the stairs.

Ryan took a seat on a stool at the kitchen counter and Sandy pulled out a package of cut salami from the fridge. "Always does the trick." He ate two slices and put the rest back into the fridge, then sat down next to Ryan and the counter.

"You boys are starting to really scare me, you know." Sandy said.

"We are?"

"Oh yeah…I mean, two months ago you and Luke battled over Marissa everyday and Seth…well Seth just doesn't like anyone who plays water polo and wears a fake smile. Who can blame him?" Sandy said.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"For what happened earlier. I was just caught up in the heat of the moment and I didn't think." Ryan looked away from Sandy. "Shit…I never think." He mumbled to himself. "This is different…everything is different here and I'm not used to…people caring, like you and Kirsten. Hell, I would have had my ass kicked for what I said to you earlier."

"But you didn't. You're here and you're safe."

"I know…I just don't want you and Kirsten to be so…worried. I'm fine and I can handle myself. I've handled my mom's boyfriends, my mom ditching me, Luke…and now I'm going to handle Marissa…and Oliver. On my own…I don't need you guys to worry about me, because I'm fine." Ryan stood up and walked over to the sink to put his glass away.

"You can't handle everything, Ryan. We're here for you if you ever need us. And please speak up when you do. Well, I'm going to head off to bed. Make sure you get some rest." And with that, Sandy patted Ryan on the shoulder and went off to bed.

Ryan walked off to the pool house and excepted the warmth of his bed and fell asleep instantly.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth and Luke were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Ryan walked into the kitchen. Considering the fact that Ryan hadn't fallen asleep until three o'clock in the morning, he felt good this morning. Seth, on the other hand, looked terrible. It looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"'Morning." Ryan said, sitting down at the kitchen table next to Luke. "You look like crap, Seth."

"Awe, gee thanks." Seth shot a look at Luke who was breathing in his food. "I'm glad someone around here got some sleep…" Luke looked up from his plate of eggs.

"You talking about me, Cohen?"

"No Luke, the monkey behind you." Luke looked at Ryan and shrugged. "It's okay Luke…just keep your eyes on your food. So…Ryan, I need some…advice." Ryan turned his full attention to Seth. "You, of course, know Summer and Anna…well the other day when you guys walked in on us…Summer and I…we were…kind of like lip singing, together…If you know what I mean."

"So you two kissed." Ryan asked.

"Yeah, Ryan. We kissed, but I have a problem."

"Anna?"

"Yeah…Anna. I mean we're like really good together but not so good. You know what I mean. Like she is…" Seth rolled his eyes into the back of his head and he made a noise of pleasure. "I like her a lot, right. But Summer and I, we're really good together as well."

"So, you want me to tell you who to date?"

"If that's what you think you should do, yeah…so how about it? Summer or Anna?" Seth asked

"If you don't know by now who you like more, you have a bigger problem, Seth."

Seth sighed; "Okay, it's Summer…" Both Ryan and Luke looked at Seth in shock. "I've always liked her since I was a kid. But when Anna came, oh God—it was like meeting one of my species. She's everything I wanted in a girl…and I think that's the problem. Like I told you before, we never fight."

"But that's a good thing Seth."

"Yeah I know…but it's like what Summer told me in Palm Springs, Anna and I…we're like brother and sister."

Instantly Luke spat his eggs out onto his plate. "That's sick, Seth."

"See Ryan…what did I tell you." Ryan shrugged. "What should I tell her?" Seth asked

"Who? Summer or Anna?" Ryan replied, laughing at Luke who was eating his partially eaten eggs that he had just spit out.

"Anna" 

"Tell Anna that you like Summer. And don't put it off, or else it will kick you right in the ass."

"Okay, thanks. Love the mental picture there, by the way."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Seth! Oh Seth! Over here!" Anna yelled out from the table she had saved in the food court. Seth groaned and made his way over to the table. All morning he had been ignoring Anna. He didn't know how to tell her that it's over.

"You never called me last night. How was your night?" She asked.

"Oh, fantastic. Who knew curling hair and painting nails would be so much fun!" Seth looked down at Anna's lunch. "Oh hey, barf." He gagged at Anna then sat down at the table.

"It's chili…I think. I'm taking your advice and trying something new. What do you have?" Anna asked.

Seth looked at the chili. "I'm rather stuffed from today's breakfast. Luke slept over and cooked up a storm this morning."

"Oh…so what are you doing tonight? It's Friday, I though maybe we could go see a movie or something."

Seth hesitated for a moment then noticed Ryan, Luke and Summer coming over to the table. "Oh hey, people we know."

Anna gave him a glare.

"Oh, I'm so hungry!" Luke shouted. "Mmm…that chili doesn't look so bad."

Anna smirked at Seth. "Glad _someone_ seems to like."

Ryan sat down at the table with his tray of food. Today, he was having a plain turkey sandwich with a salad on the side. He began to eat his food, then saw Marissa and Oliver walk into the food court hand-in-hand, and choked.

"Whoa, cowboy…" Summer said, patting him on the back. "What? You all of a sudden forgot how to eat?" Ryan, still choking on his food, glared at the two hand-in-hand. Summer then noticed why he had choked on his food. "Oh hey…Seth, why don't you go take a walk with Ryan. You know, get him something to drink…anything."

Seth, sensing Ryan's attention, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the other side of the food court to the vending machines.

"Mountain Dew?" Seth asked, putting his money in the machine.

Ryan took the offer and Seth handed him a Mountain Dew.

"Hey you think Anna knows something is going on?" Seth asked. Ryan was still looking at Marissa and Oliver.

"How could she do that? We just broke up…and now…" Ryan stumbled on his words and took a few sips of his drink. "She's like all over him…look at them!"

"Yeah, I know Ryan. Look…we'll do what you said yesterday. We'll show her how messed up Oliver is, then you will have her back." Seth said, trying to cheer up his friend.

All of a sudden Luke walked over to Marissa and Oliver. Ryan and Seth couldn't make out what was happening, Luke was talking and both Marissa and Oliver were just standing there. Then all of a sudden, Oliver went into Luke and grabbed him by his shirt. Luke reacted and shoved Oliver to the ground. Marissa was yelling at Luke and then a teacher came and split then up. 

"What the hell was that all about?" Seth asked, but when he turned to look at Ryan, he was already gone. He was chasing after Luke.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  


Ryan walked in detention and spotted Luke in the far corner of the room. The teacher was not in the room yet, so he decided to go chat with his friend.

"Hey, where did you go? I was calling your name when you ran off from the food court." Ryan asked.

"No where…just had to chill out. Stupid ass Dr. Kim gave me detention for what I did and Oliver got squat. Can you believe that bitch?"

"Yeah I know. What the hell happened at lunch today?" Ryan questioned

"Look, I saw how you looked when you saw them holding hands. I still care for Marissa…and I can't stand seeing her with Oliver as much as you."

Ryan didn't know what to say. Was Luke still in love with her?

"She's yours though, Ryan. I lost my chance with her and I know how much you care about her. All I'm doing is trying to help you out, that's all." Luke said.

Ryan felt relieved. "Thanks, I mean it."

The teacher walked into the room and Ryan took his seat at another desk and started on his algebra homework.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan walked into the Cohen's house and flopped himself on the couch next to Seth. "Oh God—I hate detention."

"I've never had one." Seth said, starring at the television screen.

"Well then, you're lucky." Ryan said. "So…Luke, he told me he still cares about Marissa…that's why he went after Oliver today at lunch." Seth didn't say anything. "What's wrong you lost you voice?" Ryan asked.

Seth turned his attention to Ryan. "No, I'm just in a little shock right now."

"Why, what happened?"

++++++  
  
Thanks for the review guys! Hopefully I will have the next chapter up by tomorrow.


	5. Chapter Five

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com or post a review.

(P.s. thanks for the reviews!)

****

Chapter Five

**__**

Lie awake, wondering,  
If things could have been much different.  
Second chance, what's become  
of a friendship if you can call this one?

The pharmacist – Hot Rod Circuit

"Why, what happened?" Ryan questioned Seth who was in a state of shock.

"This has never happened to me before." Seth said.

"What? What hasn't happened to you before?"

"I've never been dumped before."

"I thought you said you were going to dump Anna?" Ryan questioned.

"I did, well I was. I brought her over here after school, right. And I had her in my room and I was trying to tell her that it was over…and well it didn't exactly work out that way. She then went on and on about…oh god I don't even remember, I was shocked. She dumped me! I was supposed to dump her! I hate this…"

"Wait, wait, wait…shouldn't you be happy? I mean, now you have Summer, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do. It's just that, why didn't Anna like me? I'm intelligent, we like all the same things, I make her laugh…how could she dump me?"

Ryan laughed. "Look Seth, it doesn't really matter now, does it? You have Summer and you should be happy. Think of it this way. If you dumped Anna, you would feel bad for her right now. But that didn't happen. Anna dumped you and now she feels bad. It all works out. You're happy." Seth gave Ryan a little shrug. "You're not happy?"

Seth didn't answer right away. As much as he likes Summer, he also likes Anna. He couldn't get over the fact that he had been dumped by someone that he was supposed to be dumped. "Yes Ryan…I'm happy…I mean, she still said she wanted to be friends, that's good." Seth said, walking away to the kitchen.

"Yeah, as long as you're okay with it." Ryan said, trailing Seth into the kitchen. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy walked into his house at ten o'clock at night. It had been another long day for him at the office and at the lighthouse. He walked into the den and saw Seth passed out on the couch watching t.v. and Kirsten was at the kitchen table reviewing her model home projects.

Sandy went up to Kirsten and gave her a kiss. "Hey."

"Hey, dinner's in the fridge, if you're still hungry." Kirsten said, looking up from her notes.

"I already ate. Where's Ryan?" Sandy asked, looking at the pool house. The lights were off, which meant Ryan wasn't home.

"He's out with Luke, he said he would be home before eleven. Is that okay?" Kirsten asked Sandy, who wasn't too pleased to hear what she had just said.

"No—He shouldn't have the privilege of going out, not right now. The other day he told me that he could take care of himself, Kirsten. But I'm not too sure I believed him. As much as I want to trust Ryan right now, I just can't. I think he's up to something—" Kirsten cut him off.

"Now Sandy, you can't believe that. He's just a kid, and he needs us to trust him right now." Kirsten said, standing up for Ryan. "If you want to be able to have a conversation with him, you have to trust him."

"I know Kirsten, but you shouldn't of let him go out tonight. He doesn't want us to worry about him, but it's kind of hard not to, with his past."

"Don't you think we should put the past behind? You of all people, Sandy! How can you say that about him? I thought you were on his side?" Kirsten was disappointed.

"I am on his side, Kirsten. I just don't like the fact that you let him go out, that's all." Sandy hesitated, "You know what he told me the other night? He said that if he were still living in Chino, he would have had his ass kicked for what he has done these past few weeks. That's what worries me, Kirsten. He thinks he can handle himself, but he can't. And, I know I should trust him…. But I can't. You can't ask that of me."

Kirsten starred at her husband. She couldn't believe that Sandy, of all people, wasn't going to trust Ryan. She, herself, wasn't sure if she should trust him, but she knew that he was a smart kid. She trusts that whatever Ryan is going through right now, he will do the right thing.

"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." Kirsten said, walking pass Sandy. She knew that he would stay up until Ryan got home safely.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, what do you want to do?" Luke asked Ryan. They were both in Luke's truck. They were in front of Oliver's hotel. They didn't know if Marissa was there or not, but that would be a chance they have to take. 

"I'll go and you stay here." Ryan opened the door and got out of the truck.

"Wait! I'm coming, Ryan! I can't just let you go in there by yourself. I'll wait near by…just incase, okay?" Luke said.

"Okay." Ryan said as they made their way to the hotel. Ryan shoved the tape recorder in his pocket and walked over to the elevator. They made their way up to the top floor and walked down the hallway.

Ryan took the tape recorder out as soon as he reached Oliver's door and pressed record. "Okay, stay over there." Ryan said, pointing down the hallway where it turned a corner.

"If you need me, just yell." Luke said, walking away.

Ryan knocked on Oliver's door. Nothing. He knocked harder this time, reminding him of the times the cops would come over to his house and pound on his door.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Oliver yelled out from the penthouse. He opened the door and was shocked to find Ryan standing there. "What are you doing here?" Oliver asked, he was a bit nervous by the surprise visit. "If you're here to find Marissa, she's not here. I drove her home a half hour ago." Oliver had a smirk on his face and staggered over towards Ryan.

"No, I'm not here for Marissa. I just want to talk…sort things out." Ryan said. He was getting a little nervous himself, and could tell Oliver was on something.

"Well, there's nothing to talk about, Ryan." Oliver said, crossing his arms and leaning his body against the doorframe. "I believe we've already tried to talk about things. Face it Ryan, you and I…we're not like eachother. Don't bother trying to be friends with me…just so you can get close to Marissa. It's over…she told me herself."

Ryan was tensed. "I'm not here to 'win' Marissa over. I'm not like you—"

"Oh really…"

"Yeah…_really_"

Oliver was getting edgy with Ryan. He didn't like this surprise visit at all. "Look, it's late and I'm sure you don't want to be late going home to your little _project_."

"Project?" Ryan questioned. "What the hell does that mean?"

"C'mon Ryan, as if you think no one can see what you're doing to the Cohen's." Ryan was infuriated with Oliver. "It's obvious, man. If you think that you can—" With a blow of his fist, Ryan sent Oliver onto the floor on his penthouse. 

Oliver immediately got back right up and wiped the blood from his nose. Ryan thought that he was done, but he was wrong. Oliver took a swing at Ryan, who caught his eye with his ring. Luke rushed down the hallway of the hotel and swung his fist into Oliver's stomach. Oliver went down and groaned, holding his stomach with his two hands.

"You okay?" Luke asked Ryan. Ryan was standing at the door, holding his eye.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ryan said, ignoring the pain the ring had caused.

Oliver started to stand up and stagger around the apartment, searching for something. Luke went in on him again and punched him back to the ground and kicked him multiple times in the stomach, making sure he wasn't going to move again.

Ryan stood there and starred and Luke.

"Sorry—did you get want you wanted?" Luke asked.

"Not really…I mean kind of. He didn't really confess. I have some evidence, but not enough." Ryan looked to the ground, where Oliver just was. He was gone. "Shit, where did he go?" 

"Shit!" Luke shouted. 

Ryan searched the living room but couldn't find him, then went into the bedroom.

Luke searched around the penthouse but couldn't find Oliver anywhere. All of a sudden he heard two gun shots. "Ryan!" Luke shouted out from the kitchen. There was another loud gunshot that rang throughout the apartment. Luke walked into the bedroom and found Ryan leaned against the wall, holding his arm. "You okay? Where's Oliver?"

Ryan took his hand away from his arm, and with his bloody hand he pointed over to the bed. Luke made his way over to the bed and found Oliver on the other side of the bed, dead. There were pills scattered all over the floor in the bedroom. Luke gagged at the site of Oliver's dead body and turned away, holding his stomach and making sure he wouldn't vomit. 

Luke rushed over to Ryan's side. "I'm okay, Luke. Just go get some help, I'll be fine." Ryan said

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy sat on the loveseat in the den, starring at the television. It was eleven-thirty already, and Ryan was still not home. He was beginning to get worried. He had the urge to wake up Kirsten, but he didn't want to fight with her again. He also didn't want to get into a fight with Ryan, but he knew that as soon as he walked into the house, he would. He turned off the television and went into the kitchen to get something to eat, when the phone rang.

Sandy picked it up. "Hello? Yes…uh huh…Is he okay? Okay, I'll be right there." Sandy slammed the phone on the receiver and ran upstairs to his bedroom to wake Kirsten up.

"Kirsten!" Sandy shook her sleeping body. "Wake up!"

"What!" Kirsten awakened from her sleep. "What's wrong?" She saw the look on her husband's face, fear.

"It's Ryan, he's at the hospital." Sandy blurted out, taking off his pajamas and changing into his clothes.

"What? What happened?" Kirsten threw her legs over the bed and started to get dressed, herself.

"They didn't say much over the phone. C'mon." Sandy rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs.

"Wait, what about Seth?" Kirsten asked, but it was too late, Sandy was already waiting for her in the car. Kirsten decided not to wake Seth, and left. She promised herself that she would call him as soon as she knows something.

The drive on the way to the hospital was quiet. Kirsten was caught up in her own guilt trip. She blamed herself for whatever happened to Ryan. If Ryan hadn't of gone out tonight, she wouldn't be up at midnight driving to the hospital to see him. She didn't want to make matters worse for Ryan.

When they got to the hospital Sandy and Kirsten rushed into the ER and found Luke sitting down, leaning against a wall with his head between his legs. 

Kirsten put her hand on Luke's shoulder. "Luke?"

Luke looked up from the ground and looked at Sandy and Kirsten. He didn't know what to tell them. He didn't know anything about Ryan's condition yet.

"Where's Ryan?" Sandy questioned.

"He's…he got shot. I'm not sure how bad, though. He seemed fine." Luke trailed off, trying to reassure not only himself, but also the Cohen's.

Sandy left to go talk to the receptionist. "Yes, Atwood…Ryan Atwood."

"A doctor will be out shortly. All you can do right now is take a seat." The receptionist said, pointing over to the waiting room where Kirsten and Luke were already in.

Sandy went and took a seat next to Kirsten. Luke was still leaned against the wall with his head between his legs. "How can this happen?" Sandy questioned, rubbing his eyes. He was tired from being awake since six in the morning. "Luke? What happened?" Sandy walked over to Luke and knelt down beside him.

Luke looked up; he was almost in tears. "Oliver…we went to see Oliver and—"

"Oliver did this!" Sandy was infuriated. 

"He shot him, twice. But he's okay, he was talking to me in the ambulance." Luke said, reassuring Sandy.

"Where's Oliver?" Kirsten asked.

"Dead."

Both Sandy and Kirsten looked at Luke in shock. 

"Ryan…he didn't—" 

Luke cut Sandy off. "No! Ryan didn't do anything! Oliver killed himself…" Luke looked to the ground. "It all happened too fast."

A doctor came into the waiting room, and Sandy bounced out of his seat. "How's Ryan?" Sandy asked.

"Please take a seat, I'm Doctor Shorans." Sandy took a seat, as did the doctor. "Ryan came in with two gunshot wounds. One to the right arm, he's in surgery right now, there appears to be some nerve damage. And the other wound was to the left shoulder. The bullet just nicked it. He should be out of surgery within the hour."

"Oh god," Kirsten gasped. "This is all my fault…I shouldn't of let him go out tonight."

"Don't say that Kirsten, this is nobody's fault." Sandy said, taking a hold of her hand.

"I'll be back later with the result of the surgery." Dr. Shorans left.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth woke up to his alarm clock. It was seven o'clock in the morning and another school day. He rolled off his bed and left to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When he got out of the shower he went downstairs.

__

Where the heck is everyone? Seth wondered, as he walked outside to the poolhouse. "Ryan?" Seth called out, opening the door. "Ryan?" He called out again. He then walked back into the house. "Mom…Dad?" He yelled out. "Sweet, I made my family disappear." 

Seth walked over the kitchen cupboards and rummaged through the contents. Then he found it, his mom's stash of chocolates. "Nothing like a little chocolate for the morning." Seth said, talking to himself. He ate the chocolate with a cup of coffee. He sat there for a long time, before deciding to go up to his parent's bedroom.

"Mom? Dad?" He yelled out, walking into his parent's bedroom. "Okay, guys! You got me…" Seth walked back to the kitchen and picked up the phone and dialed his dad's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Sandy answered.

"Um, where are you dad? There's, like, no one home…"

"Oh…crap, we forgot to call you! Ryan's at the hospital." Sandy said

"What? Why is he in the hospital, dad?" Seth asked

"He's okay, Seth." Sandy didn't want to upset his son over the phone. "Just come down to the hospital, I'll call the school and tell them you won't be there."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Seth said, hanging up the phone. 

Seth grabbed his jacket and car keys and raced over to the hospital. He knew that Ryan and Luke were going over to Oliver's last night to talk to him. He was supposed to go too, but decided he didn't want to. Seth didn't know what to think. How could Ryan be hurt? What about Luke and Oliver?

Seth walked into the hospital and spotted Luke reading a car magazine. "Luke, where's my parents?" Seth asked.

"They are with Ryan right now." Luke said, looking up from this magazine. 

"What happened to you guys last night?" Seth asked.

"Shit, Cohen…" Luke put his magazine down. "Oliver's dead, he shot himself and he shot Ryan too."

"What! Shit, how is he?"

"Well, he had to go into surgery at one in the morning and he got out at like two-thirty. The doctor said the surgery went well, considering all the odds and shit. Shit, this is all my fault." Luke rubbed his arm, where he had been shot over a month ago. "He got shot in the arm, Seth. But he wasn't as lucky as I was…there's nerve damage."

"Where is he? I want to see him."

"Room 27." Luke said, pointing down the hallway. "You're parents are talking to the doctor right now.

Seth ran down the hallway in the hospital and spotted his parents talking to a doctor. "Mom, dad…can I see Ryan?" He asked, interrupting the conversation.

"Seth, I'm so sorry for forgetting to call you!" Kirsten said.

"It's okay mom, how's Ryan. Can I see him?"

"He's sleeping, but you can go in." Kirsten said, opening the door to Ryan's room. Seth walked in and saw Ryan lying there on the bed with his eyes open.

"Ryan?" Seth said, walking up to the bed.

"Hey…"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter…I had no clue what I was going to write about…. It all just came out! I'll have chapter six up by Monday sometime.

+Thanks for the reviews! (If you're bored, check out some of my song lyrics I wrote.)


	6. Chapter Six

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com or post a review.

(P.s. thanks for the reviews!)

****

Chapter Six

__

"Sing me my favorite lullaby  
Make a fairytale seem real  
Paint a portrait of my fears  
Burn it up in flames so I wont hear  
The screaming pains of my soul"  


A lonely Heart - Kate

****

Marissa came running into the hospital waiting room crying. "Luke!" She wrapped her arms around him. "How is he?"

"I don't know…I'm sorry about Oliver." Luke said as Marissa let him go.

She wiped away tears and said, "It's okay…he…oh god…how's Ryan?" 

"I don't know…he's arm is mucked up pretty bad, but it's not like he's dead or anything." Luke said, realizing he upset Marissa more. "Shit, Marissa…I'm sorry."

"Can I see him? Where is he?"

"I think Seth is with him right now. He's in room 27." Luke replied.

Marissa went off down the hall and spotted the Cohen's talking to a doctor. She walked up to them.

"Marissa, how are you?" Kirsten asked, breaking away from the conversation. Kirsten knew that Oliver and her were good friends.

"I'm fine, how's Ryan? Is he okay?"

Kirsten hesitated, "Yeah, Seth's with him right now…I think you should give him a little time. Why don't you go home? You look exhausted. I'll call you as soon as Ryan is up for talking, he's a little sleepy." Kirsten said. Ryan had requested that he didn't want to talk to Marissa.

"Oh, okay…sure. Just tell him I dropped by then. Bye." She said, then walked away.

++++++++++++…..Meanwhile in Room 27….++++++++++++

"So, when are they letting you loose?" Seth asked.

Ryan looked at his bandaged arm that was wrapped in a sling, close to his chest. "Your parents are talking to the doctor right now. So…I don't know."

"Hey…look on the bright side…" Seth said, not having a clue what that bright side was. Oliver _was_ dead. No, that was too mean. He stood there thinking of a brighter side.

"Jeez Seth, you look like a cat on a hot tin roof." Ryan commented.

"Glad you still value humor." Seth shot back. Seth was getting uncomfortable, he didn't know what to talk about. "So…what exactly happened with Oliver?"

"He shot himself." Ryan said. Seth gave him his look of disappointment. "I don't want to talk about it Seth. I just got shot…and, well, I can't feel my arm and its not the best feeling…"

"Yeah, of course." Seth said, "It's understandable…I'll let you get some rest." Seth said, patting Ryan on the shoulder. Ryan winced in pain. "Oh shit! Right…forgot…. Okay, I'm going to go now." Seth left the room and bumped into his parents.

"How's he doing?" Sandy asked Seth.

"Fine, I guess…he's tired. When can he come home?" Seth asked.

"They still need to do some tests on Ryan…and even after that, Seth…nerves are very important, and when you damage a nerve..." Kirsten didn't want to think about what the doctor had just told her. "Why don't you go take Luke home. He's been cooped up in that waiting room all morning."

Seth didn't complain. He went back into the waiting room to get Luke.

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Seth said, walking up to Luke.

Luke threw his magazine down on a table and followed Seth outside of the hospital.

Sandy and Kirsten walked into Ryan's room and Kirsten sat down next to the bed. Sandy paced the room.

"What now?" Ryan asked. "Can I go home soon? I hate hospitals." Ryan said, getting nervous of Sandy's pacing.

"The doctors want to do some more tests to see what they can do for the damaged nerve." Kirsten said.

"What kind of tests?"

"Reflex tests, some x-rays…to see if they can attempt to fix the nerve damage the bullet caused." Sandy explained. Sandy stopped pacing and looked at Ryan's face. Ryan looked scared. "Don't worry, just hang tight. They have good doctors here."

"But…what if they can't fix it?" Ryan asked, his voice a little shaky. "I'm not stupid, I know how serious nerve damage is…I just want to use my arm…"

"Well…" Sandy stopped. "Don't worry, kid." The doctor walked into the room and Kirsten stood up.

"Ryan, how are you?" The doctor asked.

"I'm fine. Let's just get these tests over with…I hate it here." Ryan admitted to the doctor.

The doctor laughed, "Okay, Ryan." The doctor turned to Sandy and Kirsten. "We'll take Ryan to the x-ray room and give him some reflex tests, he should be back down here in less than an hour." Dr. Shorans said.

Sandy and Kirsten said their good-byes to Ryan and left the room.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth drove Luke home and went back to his house, where he found Summer waiting on his front porch. He pulled up into the driveway and turned off the ignition.

"Summer…what are you doing here?" Seth asked.

"Oliver's dead, Cohen. Marissa is hysterical and Luke just called me and told me Ryan was in the hospital." Summer said.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Seth said, unlocking the front door and walking in. "So, I guess Ryan was right all along…but for no one believed him. Now look what happened." Summer didn't say anything as she walked into his house. "How's Marissa?"

"Hysterical; she doesn't want to talk to me about any of it. She also told me that she went to see Ryan, but you were with him." Summer said. "How is he?"

"He's okay…he can't feel his arm. The bullet caused nerved damage."

"Oh my god, I once knew this guy who had nerve damage and now he's paralyzed! And, I knew this other guy who—"

"Summer! Please, Ryan's going to be fine." Seth said.

"Sorry…so, do you want to do something? There's no point in going back to school." Summer said.

"Shouldn't you be with Marissa?" Seth asked

"She doesn't want to talk to anyone about anything. Her dad told me to give her some space…Why don't we go pick up Luke and grab some lunch, I'm starving."

"I just dropped him off!"

"Cohen! Just call him, okay. Maybe we could get some info out of him about what happened last night."

"Fine." Seth picked up the phone and called Luke's house.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan lay back down in his hospital bed and starred up at the ceiling. He could hear Sandy and Kirsten coming down the hallway.

Sandy walked into the room first and patted Ryan on the leg. "How'd it go, kid?" Kirsten took a seat next to the bed.

Ryan didn't say anything.

"Ryan, are you okay?"

"I can't feel anything." Ryan said, still starring up at the ceiling. Just then the doctor came in.

"Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Cohen." Dr. Shorans nodded at them. "Okay, we did some x-rays on Ryan and I believe there is a possibility to repair the nerve damage." Sandy and Kirsten gave him a confused look. "There are two ways to deal with this," Dr. Shorans explained. "One, we use graphic surgery and take a nerve from somewhere else in the body and replace the nerve in Ryan's arm, in hopes that it will take on the responsibility of the damaged nerve. Then after that, Ryan will have to go through therapy to try and regain the use of the arm back. The only downside to this is taking another nerve in the body can cause problems—more damage."

"What's the other way?" Sandy asked.

"Technology has advanced to what we call multi-component artificial nerve grafting. So, we could go into Ryan's arm and repair the damaged nerve with a fake nerve."

"Is doing that better?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, if you go the other way and take a nerve from Ryan's body, you risk further injury. Either way, Ryan is going to have to go into extensive therapy to regain use of his arm. It could take months, even years until he regains the use of his arm." Dr. Shorans looked at Ryan, who was still looking up at the ceiling. "I'll give you some time to decide what you want to do."

"Okay, thank you." Kirsten said, as Dr. Shorans left the room.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" Sandy asked. Ryan hadn't said a word. 

"Yeah." Ryan said. He looked at Sandy, then at Kirsten. "What do you want me to do?" Ryan asked.

"This should be up to you, Ryan. Whatever you decide will be fine with us."

Ryan didn't have to think long; he knew what he wanted and didn't want. He didn't want to take another nerve from his body and pray that it would work. He'd rather try a fake nerve and go from there.

"I want to go with the artificial nerve." Ryan said.

"Okay." Sandy said, "I'll go tell the doctor." Sandy left the room.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Ryan?" Kirsten asked

"I don't want to risk more nerve damage."

"Okay. But you do realize that putting in an artificial nerve, the chances are slim…and you would never be able to use your arm." Kirsten said.

"I know…" Ryan said. 

"Okay." Kirsten walked over to the window. "Marissa came by earlier to see you." She looked over at Ryan, "Did you want to see her?"

"No…not right now." Ryan said.

As much as he wanted to get back together with Marissa, he couldn't. He had just witnessed Oliver's death and was still in a bit of shock. He wasn't sure if he wanted Marissa back either. Oliver is gone now and she should be safe. She doesn't need him anymore and Ryan doesn't need her. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So did you talk to Anna?" Summer asked, as they drove towards Luke's house.

"Yeah, it's over." Seth said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"So you dumped her?"

"Well, not exactly…" Seth responded. 

"What do you mean, Cohen?" 

"Well, I was about to do it. But she beat me to it!"

"Huh…" Was all Summer could say, as they reached Luke's house.

"Hey…" Luke said, as he hopped in the back of the SUV. "Where we off to?"

"I was thinking the Crab Shack…" Seth offered.

"Sounds good." Luke said and they drove off.

When they got to the Crab Shack, they took a booth at the far corner of the restaurant and ordered their food. A month ago, Summer and Luke wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with Seth. Everything has changed though, since Luke's dad admitted he was gay and for Summer, Seth didn't know what has changed with her. He also wasn't sure if they were 'dating', since he was dumped by Anna.

Summer picked at her crab with her fingers in disgust. "I'm suddenly not so hungry anymore…Waiter!" She called out. "Could I have an iced tea, please?" The waiter then came back with the beverage for her. "So, Luke, what happened? Tell us all the details."

Luke wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it down on his plate. "Well, we went to go see Oliver to convince Marissa that he was crazy…so Ryan, he brought a tape recorder to tape everything…"

"And how is Oliver crazy? He seemed fine to me…" Summer said, sipping her drink.

"Okay, the guy is nuts!" Luke explained. "Well, _was_ nuts…he was trying to 'win' Marissa over and he told Ryan that he had lost at that. Well…anyway, Ryan went to go talk to him and Oliver was telling him that Marissa wasn't going back to him and that Ryan should go back to his 'project'."

"Project?" Seth questioned.

"Your parents…he told Ryan that The Cohen's were his project. So, Ryan punched him to the ground and then Oliver hit him back and that's when I came and gave Oliver a beating. Then, the next thing we know, he's gone. He disappeared into his room and Ryan went to go look and that's when he shot Ryan, then himself." Luke took a sip of his drink. "That's pretty much it."

"But why would he kill himself? I don't get it." Summer said.

Seth cut in, "Summer the guy was sick! He cut his wrists over a girl! And why we didn't all believe Ryan? Who knows…"

"Well, I think that's stupid." Summer added.

Both boys nodded in agreement.

"We need to go to the hospital and get that tape recorder and show it to Marissa and you're parents, Seth." Luke said. "Did you tell your parents about the tape recorder yet?" He asked Seth.

"No, I totally forgot when I went to go see Ryan at the hospital. And Ryan didn't even mention it to me." Seth looked at his watch, seeing that it was one in the afternoon. "If we're going to the hospital, we should go now." Seth said.

Seth, Luke and Summer left the Crab Shack, with Seth paying the bill and headed off to the hospital to get the tape recorder.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan finally drifted off to sleep at one in the afternoon. Kirsten had to leave the hospital around noon; Caleb had called her because there was an emergency at the office. Sandy sat in the room with Ryan and read a magazine. Ryan was to go into surgery at two.

There was a knock on the door at Room 27. 

Seth, Luke and Summer walked into the room and Sandy got up and put his finger at his lips. "Shhh…he's sleeping." Sandy walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"How is he?" Luke asked.

"He's going into surgery in a half hour." Sandy said.

"What? Chino's going in surgery!" Summer shouted. 

"Shhhhhh" Seth said, covering her mouth with his hand. "The baby is sleeping…you know how cranky he gets when we wake him!" Seth said, trying to throw humor in a bad situation.

"He can't feel his arm, Summer." Sandy explained the whole procedure to the three of them.

"So…he's never going to feel his arm?" Seth asked.

"No…well it's a possibility but, it takes time, Seth. He's not going to wake up from the surgery and regain the feeling…it's not that easy."

Seth shrugged, "Well can we see him before he goes into surgery?"

"I don't think he will be up—" All of a sudden they heard a crash from inside the room. "What the?" Sandy opened the door and saw Ryan standing up. "Ryan, what are you doing?" Sandy asked. Seth, Luke and Summer appeared at the door.

"Sorry—I didn't see that." Ryan nodded towards the tray that had fallen to the floor. "I have to go to the bathroom…you can now all stop looking at me." Ryan said to everyone, walking into the bathroom.

Ryan looked at himself in the mirror. His face was pale and his eye was swollen from where Oliver had punched him. He looked at his arm and felt sickened. He couldn't feel it, yet he looked at it through the mirror. It was strange to him, but he knew that he would have to get used to it. He finally went to the bathroom and walked back out in the room. Seth, Luke and Summer were all in the room. Sandy was gone.

"Hey man, how you feeling?" Luke asked.

Ryan didn't answer Luke and hopped back into his bed. It was hard getting comfortable for Ryan because he had minimal use of his arms. One arm had no feeling in it; the other arm was patched up at the shoulder, from where the bullet nicked him. 

Summer noticed Ryan struggling and went in to help him. "Here…" Summer said, moving his pillow and pulling up the sheets.

"It's okay, I got it." Ryan said, but still let her help him.

"You hitting on my woman, Ryan?" Seth asked.

"_My woman?_" Summer asked. "So…I'm now your woman?"

Seth ignored her. "Don't you think you should be giving someone a sponge bath right now?" Seth asked.

"Shut up, Cohen." Summer replied and turned her full attention back to Ryan. "The guys told me about the tape recorder…we were wondering where it is…you know, to show Marissa and the Cohen's. Marissa is hysterical…I can't talk to her!"

Ryan squirmed in his bed. "I don't know where my clothes are…" Ryan turned to Luke. "Maybe we should just forget about it…I mean he's dead, right? Why worry people more?" Ryan said. He didn't want anyone to listen to the recorder, mainly because he and Oliver had a conversation just before he shot himself.

"But—" Seth was cut off by Ryan.

"Just forget it, okay?" Ryan said. Seth knew that there was no way to change Ryan's mind. But Seth was awfully suspicious of Ryan not wanting anyone to listen to it. It didn't make any sense to him.

"Hey, why don't we go…I think Ryan needs his rest." Summer said, breaking up the silence in the room."

"Yeah…" Luke said, walking towards the door. "Good luck, man. We'll be sticking around right after the surgery."

"Break a leg! Wait…no never mind…don't." Seth added in, as he walked out of the room.

Summer was the only one left in the room. "Get better, Ryan and fast! There's no way I'm being ditched with only Seth! That only happens in my nightmares."

Ryan laughed and put his head down on his pillow. "Don't worry Summer…I'll try my hardest." Summer then left the room and Ryan closed his eyes. Seconds later he was fast asleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay guys, I hoped you liked that chapter. Thanks for all the reviews on fanfic and the O.C. message boards at FOX. Chapter Seven should be up by Tuesday or Wednesday.

(Many thanks goes out to Kat for explaining the whole nerve damage process…I hope I got it right…)


	7. Chapter Seven

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com or post a review.

(P.s. thanks for the reviews!)

****

Chapter Seven

__

"Backbeat the word was on the street  
That the fire in your heart is out  
I'm sure you've heard it all before  
But you never really had a doubt…"

Wonderwall-Oasis

Seth, Luke, and Summer all headed back to the waiting room and sat down in the empty chairs. 

"I'm going to give Marissa a call." Summer said, pulling out her cell phone and walking away from Seth and Luke.

She dialed Marissa's number. "Hey Coop!" Summer said, as soon as she recognized Marissa's voice. "How are you?"

"Fine. How's Ryan?" Marissa asked, cradling the phone on her shoulder.

"He's going back into surgery…I'm at the hospital now. Why don't you come on down? I'm sure he wants to see you." 

"Well…I don't know. Everything is weird, Summer…I mean, Oliver shot himself and…"

"Coop, come on, don't leave me alone with Seth and Luke!"

"Luke's there?" Marissa asked. She was a little surprised.

"Yeah, for moral support! Like you should be doing right now!" Summer urged. "You can't just sit there at home…you need to be around you're friends."

"Ryan's mad at me…I think. I don't think I should be there." Marissa said.

"Okay, whatever Coop…Do what you want. I give up." Summer said, flipping her cell phone off. She walked back into the waiting room. Kirsten and Sandy were in the room now.

"He just went in…should be no more than three hours. Why don't you kids go home? I'm sure Ryan would want that." Sandy said, pulling out his cell phone and checking the caller id list. His office had been calling him all day.

"No, Dad…We promised Ryan that we would stick around." Seth said.

"Fine." Sandy gave up and sat down next to Kirsten.

Seth turned to Summer, "How is Marissa doing?" 

"It's hard to tell…She thinks Ryan's mad at her." Summer explained. "She didn't want to come down. Hey, do you want to come with me to go get something to drink?" Summer asked Seth.

"Um, sure…You want anything Luke? Mom, dad?" Seth asked.

They all shook their heads and Summer and Seth walked down the hallway to the vending machine.

Seth put some coins in the machine. "What do you want?"

"Mountain Dew." Summer replied

"You read my mind."

Summer laughed and Seth gave her a serious look and handed her a mountain dew. "Cheers." He said lifting the can up and taking a sip.

"Oh god…" Summer mumbled to herself and laughed. She was in love with Seth. Everything he did, she loved about him. "Cohen, why don't we go do something…it's going to be a long wait."

"Um, sure. What about Luke, should I go get him?" Seth asked, gulping down more Mountain Dew.

"No, just us. Come on, lets go!" Summer said, dragging him by his shirt. 

Just as they stepped outside, Anna was walking up the steps to the hospital. Seth hadn't talked to her since she had dumped him yesterday. He felt weird around both Summer and Anna at the same time.

"Anna…" Seth went on.

"I came to see Ryan. I heard what happened at school today. How is he?" Anna asked.

"He's in surgery right now…They're trying to give him use of his arm. He has nerve damage." Seth said, trying to make Anna jealous by throwing his arm over Summer's shoulder.

"Oh—well I guess I'll—" Summer cut her off.

"The Cohen's and Luke are in the waiting room." Summer added.

"Well, I'll go see them, then. Bye." Anna said, as she continued up the steps to the hospital. She was a little overwhelmed that Seth had his arm around Summer's shoulder. She thought for sure that Seth wasn't into Summer anymore. 

Summer pulled away from Seth. "You just didn't do what I think you just did, Cohen. Did you?"

"What are you talking about, Summer?" Seth asked, he knew what she was talking about but didn't want to admit it.

"You were trying to make her jealous! And with me…"

"Can't argue there." Seth said, throwing a smile. "So where are we off to?" 

"Well…I thought maybe we could go see Marissa. I want to see if she's really okay. Then I thought that maybe we could go back to your house." Summer said, adding in a little hint.

"My house, huh?" Seth said. "Do you and Captain Oats have something going on that I don't know about? Cause if you do, I think I have the right to know."

Summer laughed. "Whatever, Cohen. Let's go."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Anna walked into the hospital and a receptionist guided her to the waiting room where the Cohen's and Luke were waiting. She went up to the Cohen's first.

"Anna! What a surprise!" Sandy said.

"Hi, Mr. Cohen! I just came to check on Ryan, but Seth just told me that he just went into surgery."

"Yeah, he just went in…Should be out by five o'clock."

"Oh, okay, well…I hope he gets better and tell him I dropped by."

"Will do." Sandy replied and Anna walked away and took a seat next to Luke.

"Hey Luke, I heard what happened to you guys at Oliver's place. It's all around school. How are you?"

"Oh me? I'm good. Ryan's the one…Well, he's the one in surgery right now. Not me." Luke said. 

Anna slouched in the seat and put her purse on her lap and turned to Luke. "Is Seth going out with Summer?" 

"I think so." Luke replied. "Why you asking?"

"No, reason…Well, I just saw them flirting with each other when I came in…and I was a little surprised. He's definitely on the rebound, if you ask me." Anna said. "How can he like Summer, anyway? They are total opposite of each other and—" Anna was cut off by the yelling in the room.

"Kirsten, this has nothing to do with you!" Sandy yelled. "Don't do this to yourself." Sandy said, lowering his voice.

Anna and Luke looked at each other.

"I think we should let them be alone." Luke said to Anna. "Want to get out of here?"

"Good idea." Anna said.

Luke and Anna left the waiting room and headed outside.

Meanwhile in the waiting room Sandy was still up from his seat, pacing the room back and forth.

"He's in there because of me, Sandy." Kirsten whispered. "This is all my fault. I should have never let him go out!" She shook her head. "God, what was I thinking? Now look what he is going through. It's all my fault." Kirsten said, burrowing in a wet tissue.

Sandy stopped pacing and knelt down beside his wife. "This is no one's fault. You have to understand that, Kirsten." Sandy looked up at the clock. "Why don't we go grab a cup of coffee?"

Kirsten shook her head. "No thanks. I just want to sit here…You can go."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Sandy said and walked away.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, are we like girlfriend and boyfriend now?" Seth asked, keeping his eyes on the road. They were on their way to Marissa's house.

Summer sat in the passenger seat and looked out the window. She smiled to herself before she spoke. "Cohen, this music is really annoying me." She flipped off the CD player and looked at him. "Do you still like Anna?"

"Uh, no, Summer…I don't. That is why I broke up with her to be with you…Not to be by myself." Seth took his eyes off the road. "So how about it? Are we girlfriend and boyfriend?"

"Cohen, eyes on the road! I want to make it to Coop's house alive!" Summer said, turning the music back on. Death Cab filled the SUV and Summer shifted her body and faced Seth. "Okay."

"Okay?" Seth said, with a smile.

"Yes…I'm your girlfriend now…Now let's hurry up and get to Coop's." Summer shifted back in her seat and starred out the window. "What is this song called?"

"Blacking out with Friction…Hey it kind of reminds me of someone I know." Seth said smiling.

Summer shot him a glare. "I like it…" Summer smiled at him and went back to the scenery of her window.

Seth pulled up to Marissa's house and Summer ran out of the SUV and knocked on the door. Seth followed her inside when Marissa opened the door.

"Hey…I didn't know you were coming." Marissa said, returning the hug Summer had given her.

"I didn't want you to be alone." Summer said. She could tell that Marissa was sick. Her face was pale and it looked like she hadn't eaten anything all day. "You don't look so good…Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Marissa assured her. "How's Ryan?" Marissa asked, turning to Seth who felt a little out of place.

Seth shrugged. "Good, I guess…I mean, he is in surgery."

Marissa nodded and sat down on the couch. Summer followed her and sat down next to her. "Hey, want to come over to Seth's place? We were just going to hang…You can come too." Summer said.

Seth was shaking his head violently at Summer. He wanted to be alone with Summer at his house, with no interruptions. "You know what," Seth looked at his watch. "I think we should go back to the hospital. Incase, Ryan gets out early…you know, we should be there for him as soon as he gets out." Seth said. He didn't want to be stuck with Summer and Marissa chatting, especially if they were going to talk about Ryan. 

"Seth, don't be a hooligan!" Summer spat out at him and motioned for him to sit next to Marissa on the couch. "Marissa needs friends right now, and we are her friends!"

"Hooligan?" Seth laughed. "How am I a hooligan? And who uses the word hooligan?" Seth said, taking a seat next to Marissa.

Summer ignored Seth and took a hold of Marissa's hand. "How are you? Seriously Coop, you look like crap." 

"Uh, that was nice of you, Summer." Seth said, rolling his eyes.

"Cohen, be a friend and go make her something to eat." Summer said. Seth got up and went into the kitchen to make her a sandwich.

Marissa started to cry. "I can't believe he's dead, Summer. I was just over at his house, and now he's gone! This is too weird…And Ryan must hate me."

"No, Coop, he doesn't. You have to go talk to him." Summer said.

"Why did he go over to Oliver's place with Luke? What were they thinking of? Ryan was just suspended for fighting him and Luke hated him too. They meant for Oliver to be unhappy and kill himself…Just like he did." She wiped away her tears. "I can't even go to Oliver's funeral!"

"Why not, Coop?"

"Cause I just found out it's being held in Paris! That's where his parents are, and they don't want me there."

"Why wouldn't they want you there? You were his friend."

"They think I had something to do with his suicide. They told me that he liked me and that I caused him to go off and kill himself." Marissa said.

Seth walked into the living room and gave Marissa a turkey sandwich. "Should I, um, go?" Seth asked. He was a little uncomfortable being around girls, especially one's that cried.

Both girls ignored Seth. "You had nothing to do with Oliver's suicide! He did it himself, Coop. And once we find Ryan's tape recorder…" Seth shook his head at Summer. "…we will prove to you how messed up he was. It wasn't your fault." 

"What tape recorder? What are you talking about?" Marissa asked.

"Nothing, Marissa. Summer, I think we should go." Seth spat out, taking his car keys out from his pocket.

"What aren't you guys telling me?" Marissa demanded.

"Ryan went there to prove to you that Oliver is crazy. And in doing that, he brought a tape recorder along with him. He just wanted you and everyone else in Newport to trust him."

Marissa started to cry again. "Oh my God, I don't know what to think anymore…" 

"Don't think anything, Coop. You don't have—" Summer's cell phone rang from her purse. She let out a growl of frustration and rummaged through her purse looking for the cell phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Luke. Where are you?"

"I'm at Marissa's with Seth." Summer heard Anna's voice in the background. "Is Anna with you?" Summer asked, Seth looked up from the ground and starred at Summer.

"Yeah, we're on the road. I was heading over to…Well, I really don't know where exactly. We were just bored and wanted to get out of the hospital."

"Well, why don't you come over here?" She looked at Marissa and could tell she didn't want anymore visitors. "I'm sure Coop would love to see some more faces!"

"Okay, we'll be there in five. Bye." Luke said, then turned off his cell.

"Summer! I don't want Luke over here and I think you two should leave too." Marissa said.

"No, I'm staying. We need to get out minds off Oliver. Plus, we have two hours to spare until we go back to the hospital to check up on Ryan. And you are coming with us, whether you like it or not. You need to talk to him." Summer insisted.

Marissa didn't complain.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth let out a sigh. "There's nothing on TV."

"That's because we're not here to watch TV, Cohen." Summer said, just then the doorbell rang. "Be a gentleman and get the door." Seth got up and opened the door for Luke and Anna.

"Hey, nice of you guys to drop by." Seth said, sarcastically. Luke and Anna went into the living room with Seth trailing behind them, making faces. Summer laughed out loud and Anna turned her head and shot Seth a look.

"Hey, Marissa."

"Hey, Luke…Hey Anna." Marissa gave them both a smile. She turned to Summer. "Can we just watch a movie or something? I really don't feel like talking anymore about Oliver or Ryan."

"Fine." Summer gave up on trying to get Marissa talk. "What movie do you want to watch, Coop?"

"Notting Hill? I love Hugh Grant!" Marissa said, both Seth and Luke rolled their eyes.

"Oh my God, I love him too! I loved him in Bridget Jones Diary!" Anna squealed.

"Oh, I love that movie! Do you have it, Coop?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Let's watch that then." Marissa said, searching her bookcase for the movie.

Seth sighed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Hey, don't you have Scarface, Marissa? Let's watch that." Luke asked.

"Actually, why don't we watch the Caddyshack…I love that movie!" Seth added, "Hey, everybody, we're all gonna get laid!" Seth laughed to himself. "I love that line." 

Everyone looked at Seth.

"Right…Anyway, I hate both of those movies." Summer said. "Why don't you boys go make us some popcorn?"

Both Luke and Ryan rolled their eyes and went into the kitchen.

"This is torture!" Luke complained to Seth, who was rummaging in the cupboards looking for popcorn.

"Torture? This is more than torture!" Seth whispered to Luke, making sure the girls wouldn't hear him. "And hour ago Summer and I were supposed to go over to my house alone. Now look where I am! I'm watching a movie with both Summer and Anna. Oh and can't forget Marissa, of course."

"Are you going out with Summer?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, we finally decided that we were boyfriend and girlfriend today."

Luke laughed. "Dude, that's awesome. So you and Anna are done for sure?" Luke asked.

"Uh, yeah." Seth gave Luke a look. "You aren't interested in her are you? She's not even your type."

"Hey, how do you know my type, Cohen." Luke shot back.

"Well I know Anna's type, and it's not you." Seth pulled out the popcorn. "Found it." Seth threw it in the microwave and both boys stood there in silence listening to the popping of the corn.

Seth finally spoke. "This has got to be the weirdest day of my life."

"How's that?" Luke asked.

"I wake up and I find out that I'm home alone, but it turns out Ryan is actually in the hospital. Oliver is dead, then Summer and I decide we are together and now…Dude, you want to go out with my ex-girlfriend!"

"I never said that, I was just thinking about it."

"Okay, whatever, Dude." Seth said.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy and Kirsten sat quietly in the waiting room; both were deep in their thoughts. Kirsten was still blaming herself for what happened to Ryan. No matter what Sandy told her she still believed that it was her fault. She was never very fond of Ryan when he first showed up at her house, but now she can see what Sandy first saw in him. Ryan was still a boy inside and he needed a family to love him and take care of him. And that is exactly what Kirsten is going to do.

Sandy, on the other hand, was thinking about Ryan's mother. He knew he didn't want to get in contact with her, but he also knew Dawn had the right to know that her son was injured. Sandy promised himself that as soon as Ryan wakes up he is going to ask him if he wants his mother.

Dr. Shorans walked into the waiting room and both Kirsten and Sandy came out of their daze. "Good news, the surgery went well, as suspected, and Ryan is back in his room. He should be waking up shortly."

"Can we see him?" Kirsten asked.

"Yes, of course." The doctor walked Kirsten and Sandy to Room 27. "We are giving him some pain medications that are going to make him sleepy for a couple of days. He should be fine within a week."

"When is he going to be able to regain the use of his arm?" Kirsten asked. She already knew the answer but wanted to make sure she was wrong.

"Well, we'll see how the nerve does in his arm. His body could reject the nerve. If all goes well, then within weeks he should be feeling a tingling sensation in his arm and soon enough, he will feel his arm as a whole. He's also going to have to come back here every month or so and take some tests to see how the nerve is working." Dr. Shorans said.

"What about therapy?" Sandy asked.

"He's going to have to go through therapy to regain the use of his arm, there's no doubt about that. You also have to realize Mr. Cohen that Ryan is going to feel as though he can never use his arm. It is a very long and hard process. Like I said before, it could take weeks, months or even years. But for now, we just have to encourage him to use his arm as much as possible. The more he uses his arm, the better the results."

"Thank you, Dr. Shorans." Sandy said, and shook his hand.

Dr. Shorans smiled at Kirsten. "I'll be checking up on him shortly after he wakes up. If you two need anything just ask any of the nurses."

"Thank you." Kirsten responded.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth, Summer, Luke, Anna and Marissa were all in Seth's SUV.

"Hurry it up, Cohen!" Summer yelled from the passenger seat. "I don't want another flashback from our trip to Tijuana; where those nuns were driving passing us."

"Have you seen _any_ nuns?" Seth demanded.

"No."

"Well then, I think I proved my point." Seth pointed out, turning into the hospital parking lot. 

"Hey, there's a nun." Luke pointed out, from the back seat. The nun was walking into the hospital.

Seth glared at Luke. "Thanks." He replied, sarcastically.

"Told you, Cohen." Summer said, as she stepped out of the SUV. 

Anna rolled her eyes and walked with Luke up the steps of the hospital. "Those two are driving me nuts." She commented.

Luke gave her a smile. "You have to admit though, it's kind of funny."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Well then, as Summer would say, 'ew'." They both laughed.

The five of them reached the waiting room. Sandy and Kirsten were no where in sight. Everyone took a seat except Seth, who walked over to the receptionist desk.

"Why hello there," Seth said with an encouraging smile. "Would you by any chance know if Ryan Atwood is out of surgery?"

The receptionist looked up from the computer. "He's been out of surgery for at least a half hour now." The receptionist looked over at the four kids in the waiting room. "I'm afraid you guys can't see him right now. His parents are already in the room with him and he is still sleeping. Visitor hours are over."

Seth read the receptionist's nametag. "Well…Lisa, maybe you can make an exception?" Seth's smile was still painted on his face.

"I'm afraid not. But tell you what, I'll go page his parents to come and talk to you. How's that." Lisa replied, with a smile now on her face.

The smile on Seth's face vanished. "If that's how it's gonna be, Scrooge…" Seth mumbled to himself, then walked away.

The receptionist paged Sandy and Kirsten and within seconds Sandy appeared in the waiting room. Sandy looked like he hadn't slept in days. It was amazing how much one day in a hospital can drain the life of a person.

"Dad, how's Ryan?" Seth asked.

"Good. Before I left he was starting to wake up."

Summer squeezed Marissa hand. "That's great!" She yelled out.

"Can we see him, Dad?" Seth asked.

Sandy looked over at the receptionist. "You guys are minors and visiting hours are over."

"When can we see him then?" Summer asked.

"Tomorrow." Sandy replied.

"What? You've got to be kidding me! We promised him that we would be here when he wakes up." Seth said, in a fit of anger.

"And he will…I will tell him that all of you stopped by." Sandy said. "And I think you guys should all go home, eat some supper and relax."

Seth shook his head and laughed. "This is nuts…Just nuts." Summer came up to him and grabbed his hand.

"Your dad is right, lets just go home. I'm sure Ryan won't even be awake enough to realize that we are here anyway." Summer said. Luke, Anna and Marissa all stood up at once and left the waiting room.

Summer's hand was still in Seth's. "Are you and mom coming home tonight?" Seth asked.

"Your mom won't leave Ryan's side. She's glued to that kid like you wouldn't believe." Sandy laughed and ran his hands through his hair. "And there's no way I'm leaving your mother here. I think a male nurse already hit on her!" Sandy said.

"How minty…" Seth replied. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

"What about school, Seth?" Sandy asked. "You can't miss any school."

"Dad, tomorrow's Saturday." Seth laughed at his dad. "See you later."

"Bye." Sandy left and went back to Room 27.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I feel like a bus driver." Seth said, as he dropped Luke off at his house. It was only Summer and him left in the SUV. "You live at 2378 Appleseed Dr., right?"

"How do you know where I live?" Summer asked. Seth was a little surprised by her tone. He wasn't sure if she was happy that he knew where she lived, or mad.

"No reason, wild guess." Seth said, turning up the volume of the CD player.

"Right…Actually Cohen, I was thinking maybe I could spend the night at your place. My step-mom is driving me nuts right now." Summer lied.

"Uh, sure." Seth smiled to himself and made a U-turn in the middle of deserted side road and headed home.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay well I hoped you guys liked that chapter. Not a lot of Ryan in it though… but I promise next chapter will have more Ryan AND Marissa too…. Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter Eight

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com or post a review.

(P.s. thanks for the reviews!)

****

Chapter Eight

__

So love me, so I can be myself again  
Now hate me, so things seem normal in my head  
I'm trying, to break away this ball and chain  
Now hate me, so things seem normal in my head  
Things seem normal in my head

Drawing Board – Mest

Summer was in the kitchen making toast when Seth walked in with just his boxers and T-shirt on.

"Morning, Cohen." Summer said, as she put two plates down on the kitchen table. "What do you want on your toasts?" She asked.

Seth admired Summer for a long moment. She was wearing a pair of his pajama bottoms, a tank top and his robe. He went and took a seat at the table. "Just butter." He replied, sipping the coffee that Summer put in front of him. "You know what I think, Summer? I think that if you and Ryan got together and made me breakfast one day, I'd die and go to heaven." 

Summer laughed. "Chino cooks?

"Have you tasted the eggs he makes?" Seth sighed. "God, they are good!" 

Summer plopped two toasts down in front of Seth and sat down. They ate in silence, reading the newspaper. Seth slid his plate full of crust over to Summer, who gladly reached over and ate them.

"So, um, when are we going over to the hospital?" Summer asked, as she finished off the last of the crusts.

"I'll call my dad and find out." Seth walked over to the phone and dialed his dad's cell phone number. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, how are things at home?" Sandy asked.

Seth smiled to himself, "Things are good…Quiet though, without Ryan here and all."

"Quiet, without Ryan? You must mean you're mother." Sandy laughed. "So you're calling me to ask how Ryan is? And when you can come over?"

"You read my mind, dad."

"Ryan's doing good. He's sleeping right now though, but you can stop by anytime after nine." 

"Great, I'll be there soon then, bye." Seth hung up the phone and turned to Summer. "We can go over right now. So lets just get changed and then we can go."

"Wait, there's one problem."

"What?"

"I don't have any clothes to wear. And there's no way I'm wearing this tank top again…Bad enough I wore it to bed last night."

"Well, I offered you a shirt."

"Well, I'm reconsidering the offer right now." 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan woke up in his hospital bed and looked around the room. Sandy and Kirsten were gone. He sighed and let out a big yawn, remembering yesterday's events. His shoulder was in pain. He closed his eyes again and tried to get more sleep.

Sandy opened the door and popped his head in. Ryan flew his eyes open and looked at him.

"Seth and Summer are here. Were you sleeping?" Sandy asked.

"Not anymore." Ryan replied, dryly. 

Seth and Summer walked into the room. Ryan noticed that Summer was wearing one of Seth's T-shirts and smirked. "Hey guys."

"Hey Ryan, how you feeling?" Seth asked

"I'm feeling nothing." Ryan replied.

"Oh, I, uh, meant you, not your arm…" Seth handed Ryan a comic book. "I thought you might get bored, so I brought you this."

"Thanks, man." Ryan accepted the comic book and looked at Summer. "Hey, I see you found yourself a new look."

Summer glared at Seth. "Ew, this is not a new look at all. Seth claims that this was his only shirt left. This shade of green is definitely not my color." Summer retorted. 

"I see…" Ryan said, shifting his observation over to Seth. Ryan knew something was up. He wasn't sure yet if Seth had asked Summer to be his girlfriend or not. But from the looks of it, they were. And as for Summer's shirt, Ryan had the suppositions that something went on last night that his parents don't know about.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"I think I'm going to leave you two alone." Summer said, then walked out of the room, leaving Seth and Ryan.

Ryan starred at Seth for a moment. He could tell Seth was dying to tell him something. "Okay, spill it…Start talking."

Seth sat down in the chair next to Ryan's bed. "You wouldn't believe the day I had yesterday! First off, I wake up and you're gone…here. Okay, that's maybe not the best…But anyway, if you hadn't noticed yet, Summer and I…we're now a_ thing_. And last night, we also had a _thing_ going on." Seth gasped for air, but before he could continue Ryan cut him off.

"A thing? You had sex?"

"No, but that's a good idea."

"So what happened then?" Ryan asked.

"Well it starts off…We're at Marissa's house watching a movie with Anna and Luke…Oh and might I add," Seth held up his hand. "Luke and I were in the kitchen and he asked me if I had dumped Anna, implying that he wanted to go out with her or something along the lines of that. But anyway, we're watching the movie and Summer and I are just all over each other on the couch…I think Summer was trying to make Anna jealous, which I tried before, but Summer got mad at me. Anyway, we leave, come here, then leave again and go back to my house…where she sleeps…in my bed."

Ryan cut in, "You slept with her? I thought you said you didn't sleep with her?"

"No, not like that Ryan. Get your head out of the gutter for just one minute will you! We just slept, like cuddled together…with Captain Oats, might I add. It was the best night ever! Then I wake up and she's making me toast and coffee. And," Seth added. "She was wearing my robe…I'm never going to wash that thing again."

"Oh, so that's why she was wearing your shirt." Ryan asked.

"Yeah, she didn't have anything else to wear."

Seth stopped talking about himself and asked, "Are you and Marissa…Okay?"

"What did she say?"

"She said that you were mad at her. Are you?" Ryan didn't respond. "It's okay, you don't have to answer me. I understand…It's been a little crazy for you. Maybe I should go."

"No, wait." Ryan said, stopping Seth and asked, "Should I be mad at her?"

"I can't answer that for you." Seth replied and Ryan looked away from Seth. "I should tell you this…She knows about the tape recorder. Summer kind of blurted it out by accident."

Ryan glared at Seth. "I told you that we should forget about it, Seth."

"What's the big deal, Ryan. Prove to her that she was wrong about Oliver…Make her understand."

"No—It's not that, Seth."

"Well then what it is?"

"Oliver…He said some stuff before he…you know, killed himself."

Seth looked at Ryan with surprise. "What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Seth. That's what I'm trying to tell you."

Just then Summer walked back into the room. "Hey, Marissa's here." Summer said, Marissa was standing behind her. Ryan gave Seth a glare. "Come on Seth, let's leave them alone." Summer grabbed Seth's arm and dragged him out of the room.

Marissa walked in the room and sat uncomfortably in the chair next to Ryan's bed. "Hey." She said, her voice was low.

"Hey, how are you?" Ryan asked.

"I'm fine." Marissa looked at Ryan's arm. "How's the arm?"

"It's fine." Ryan replied then hesitated. "Seth just told me that you think I'm mad at you."

"Are you?" 

"I think I have a right to be." Ryan said, then looked away. "I didn't mean for Oliver to kill himself and I'm sorry that he did."

"It's not your fault, Ryan. He had some issues that nobody understood but me. I can't change the past, but I want to change the future…Our future."

"Our future?" Ryan questioned. "What does that mean?"

"What I mean is that I'm sorry…And I want to be with you again." Marissa said, Ryan didn't say anything. "Summer told me about the tape recorder."

"She wasn't supposed to." Ryan shot back.

"Well, don't you think I have a right to know about it…I mean, that's why you went there, right? You wanted to prove to me that he was crazy, which he wasn't. He just had some issues."

"Yeah, well now look where he is." 

Marissa shook her head nervously. "No Ryan, look where you are. You didn't have to prove anything to me." She stood up. "But that doesn't matter anymore, he's gone."

"And now I know your safe…So I'll stop bothering you then."

"Whatever, Ryan. I can't do this right now." Marissa said, brushing her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry I came by…" She said, then walked out.

"Me too." Ryan mumbled to himself.

Ryan sat up in his bed cautiously and walked over to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He stood in the mirror, facing himself, starring into his own eyes. He saw his mother in his eyes. He missed her a lot but wasn't sure if he wanted to see her right now. Sandy asked him earlier if he wanted to contact his mom. He told Sandy that he didn't know if he wanted to see her. His life was already falling apart in front of him without his mother's help. Ryan had dug his own hole this time. He felt nauseous all of a sudden and knelt down next to the toilet. His shoulder was in pain and even though he couldn't feel his arm, it probably hurt like hell too.

There was a knock at the door. "Ryan, you okay in there?" Sandy asked, through the door.

Ryan didn't say anything. He got up, glanced at himself in the mirror, and unlocked the door. "I'm fine."

Sandy backed away from the door, letting Ryan pass him to get into bed. Dr. Shorans then appeared at the door to the room.

"Morning, Ryan. How are you today?" The doctor asked, pulling out the clipboard attached to his bed.

"Fine."

"Okay, I'm just going to take a look at your shoulder." The doctor took the bandage off Ryan's shoulder and got a nurse to clean the wound. Ryan tried hard not to show any pain to neither Sandy nor the doctor. The nurse then bandaged his shoulder back up. "It looks good, Ryan." Dr. Shorans commented. "How's the pain?"

"I'm fine." Ryan replied. Sandy shot him a look. "When can I go?"

"Not for a couple of days, Ryan." Dr. Shorans said, writing a few notes down on the chart. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Don't worry, Ryan. The food here isn't all that bad." Dr. Shorans said. "I'll have a nurse get you something to eat. And after you eat, you better get some rest."

Dr. Shorans left the room and Sandy walked up to Ryan. "You look pale, Ryan."

"I'm fine, Sandy…Really…Where's Kirsten?" Ryan asked. He hadn't seen Kirsten all morning. 

"She had to go into work for awhile." Sandy replied, picking up the comic book Seth had brought him. "I don't know how you guys can read these." He laughed to himself and threw it back on the table next to Ryan's bed. "So, have you decided if you wanted to tell your mom about all of this? It's okay to say no, Ryan. I understand that."

Ryan thought for a moment. His mom had already ditched him twice. He didn't feel like going for a third one this time, because he knew there would be no homerun involved in this game. "No…I don't think I want to see her." Ryan said. 

"Okay, but if you change your mind, just let me know. Okay?"

"Okay." Just then the nurse came in with his food. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes.

"I don't think so…" The nurse went on. Sandy left the room before it got bad.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"What did Ryan say to you?" Summer asked. They were at the Crab Shack eating lunch. Summer tried to drag Marissa along but she was too caught up in her emotions. Summer wasn't sure what Ryan had told her, but whatever it was, it was bad.

"Nothing, just guys stuff…You know how it is."

"Cohen, don't lie to me…I can read your mind."

Seth nodded. "So, not only do you suffer from rage blackouts, you also read people's minds?" Seth continued, "What am I thinking right now, then?"

Summer frowned at him. "You're thinking that…um, the crab here is great?"

"Not true, my friend. I was thinking about mamybelline queen's and plastic faces."

"Maybelline queen's and plastic faces? Okay, your just…weird, Cohen."

"But you like that." Seth added.

Summer smiled at Seth. "Unfortunately." Summer got up from her seat and grabbed her purse. "I'm going to go see Coop. I have a feeling she needs to talk."

"Okay…I'll just…" Seth looked around. "I'll just hang out here…Eat crab, be a crab…you know."

Summer laughed and gave him a kiss on the lips. "I'll call you later, Crabby."

Seth nodded and watched her walk off. He was mad that she was leaving him at the Crab Shack, but that kiss made up for it. Seth was still starring off into nowhere when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, what's up, Cohen."

"Hey…Luke." Seth was still getting used to his odd friendship with Luke. "I'm, uh, just hanging…You know playing a little chess in the park with old men and feeding the birds." 

"Cool," Luke responded, ignoring Seth's sarcasm. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go see Ryan today."

"I just saw him this morning, but yeah, that's cool…I'll go with you."

"Where are you? I'll pick you up."

"I told you I was at the park…But no worries, I have my parents SUV." Seth paused for a moment. "I'll, uh, pick you up."

"Okay, I'll be waiting." Luke hung up the phone.

Seth sat at the table alone for a few minutes looking at Summer's crab that she didn't eat. "What a waste." He mumbled to himself, picking up the crab and eating it. Once he was done Summer's crab, he paid for the lunch and headed off to get Luke.

Luke was standing outside his house when Seth pulled up into the driveway. He was wearing his lovely sweater vest, the same one that Seth had commented on not too long ago. _Ah, the good ol' times._ Seth thought to himself. Luke got in and Seth drove off. They talked about nothing particular to whole ride to the hospital. 

When they got to the hospital Seth and Luke raced into the hospital. There was only five minutes left for visitors. 

+

"Hey-Whoa," Seth said, catching his breath. "What hell is that?" He pointed to the food Ryan was eating. "It looks like mom's cooking."

"Actually, it's jello…I think, or at least that's what they told me." Ryan said, with a smile on his face. He then ate the last of the _jello_ and the nurse left the room. "So, what's up? Two visits in a span of what…Three hours, Seth?"

"Luke wanted to come and see you and," Seth added. "Whatever you told Marissa, thanks. Thanks a lot man, 'cause now she hanging out with my girlfriend."

"Well I told her what she wanted to hear." Ryan replied.

"Dude, it doesn't sound like it."

"_Dude,_ you know I could kick your ass." Ryan commented. "But, good thing for you I can't right now." 

Luke couldn't resist a little chuckle. "I can kick his ass for you." He looked at Seth. "Wouldn't be the first time either."

"I love the bond we've got going here…" Seth said sarcastically and turned to Ryan. "Once you're out of here your showing me some Chino moves, okay?"

Ryan nodded. "Sure, Seth…In about year or two, after my arm fully heals."

"Dude, don't say that. It'll heal a lot faster...Just you wait and see!" Seth said, grabbing the clipboard that was attached to his bed.

"Thanks Dr. Seth, I'll keep that in mind."

"I think I liked you a lot better before you _tried_ to be funny." Seth looked at his watch it was past visiting hours. "When are those nurses going to hull my ass out of here."

Luke laughed. "I was thinking the exact same thing, Cohen. Those nurses are hot. You're so lucky Ryan."

Ryan nodded in agreement. He was getting really tired all of a sudden. The pain medication was making him really sleepy.

Luke took the cue. "Well we better go."

"Yes, we better…Because I have such an interesting life I must attend to." Seth said.

"What interesting life?" Luke pointed out.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Exactly my point."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not the best chapter I know…kind of a filler, I know…

I hope this story isn't going to slow…I will try and speed it up a little…get some more action going too. Okay well…Stay tuned! And also, I wrote a poem awhile ago called, Room 27. It sort of follows this fic a bit. So check it out and tell me what you think of it. Criticize me too if you want to. 


	9. Chapter Nine

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Nine

_ _

This empty room it fills my mind   
Freedom it leaves me confined   
Every single wall has cracked   
But in this life you can't turn back 

Alone – Ben Harper

Seth sat anxiously at the kitchen table with his dad. Sandy was reading the newspaper while Seth was babbling on about school gossip. Since Ryan wasn't home yet, he had to tell someone. Ryan was supposed to home already. He had been at the hospital for over a week and to Seth it felt like a year.

"…Dad are you listening?" Seth asked.

"No."

"Fine then…Okay, where's Ryan? He should be home now!" Seth got up from the table and passed the floor of the kitchen, contemplating on calling his mom. "Maybe I should call mom, maybe they got into a car accident or something."

Sandy laughed at Seth and didn't say anything. He knew Seth was overacting over nothing. Kirsten was only five minutes late, from when she said they would be home. It's not like they haven't seen Ryan at all for a week. Seth visited him everyday after school and begged to stay overnight, but was never allowed.

Kirsten and Ryan walked into the house and Seth smoothly walked into the foyer, not showing his excitement.

"Hey…You finally busted out of the place. Now we have some actual human intelligence in this household besides me, of course" Seth commented. Kirsten came up to him and smacked his arm. "Owww…" Seth over exaggerated, rubbing his arm.

Ryan laughed and walked into the kitchen with Seth trailing behind him. "Hungry?" Seth asked.

"Nah…" Ryan said, walking over to the patio doors. "I'm a little tired. I'm just going to go lay down for awhile."

Seth nodded his head and watched Ryan walked off to the poolhouse. Sandy and Kirsten then came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. 

"Seth, we need to talk to you, have a seat." Sandy said, motioning to the chair across from him.

"If this is about what happened last night, I swear I didn't know you guys were-"

"What? What happened last night?" Kirsten ordered.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Seth sat down at the table across from his parents. "So, what's up?" 

Both Kirsten and Sandy eyed him suspiciously. 

"It's about Ryan." Sandy continued as soon as he caught Seth's attention. "We need you to do us a favor."

"A favor? What kind of favor." Seth asked

"We need you to help Ryan with his arm. We can't keep our eye on him every second of the day so, we need you to make sure that he tries to use his arm."

"But I thought he couldn't use it."

"He can't. But he will be going to rehab and there someone will assist him to use his arm until he can use it himself. He needs to get his muscles working for himself again." Sandy explained.

  
"So how am I doing you a favor if he can't even use his arm, then?" Seth questioned, raising his eyebrow. "You're not suggesting that I use it for him, are you?"

"He will be less embarrassed if its you, Seth. Think of it this way; imagine your mother helping you cereal…I'm sure you'd rather want Ryan to help." Kirsten explained.

"Well to be honest mom, I don't think he'd want anyone's help."

"He doesn't have that choice, Seth. The more he gets help with his arm, the faster it heals."

Seth sighed. "Fine, but if I end up in the hospital, you know why." Seth said, then walked off to the den.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan sat up in his bed reading his history book. He knew that as soon as he got back to school he would be swamped with homework. Endless amounts. He didn't know when he was going to go back to school yet. Sandy and Kirsten wanted him to take it easy for awhile at home, but Ryan didn't want to stay home and do nothing all day. It would seem like he was suspended again. Ryan finally decided to go back into the house. He was dying of hunger. He hadn't eaten anything since last night's supper at the hospital, which wasn't filling to him.

"Hey, couldn't sleep?" Kirsten asked, as soon as Ryan walked into the kitchen.

"No."

"Hungry?"

Ryan was glad she asked. "Yeah, starving." He said, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"What would you like? Sandy and Seth just had a sandwich for lunch. Want a sandwich, or I can make you some soup." Kirsten asked, rummaging through the fridge.

"I'll have some soup." Ryan replied. Seth walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table across from Ryan.

"You're not letting Mom cook for you, are you?" Seth questioned.

"It's just soup, Seth." Ryan shot back, sticking up for Kirsten.

"Soup can burn very easily, you know."

"I'm not cooking it on the oven, Seth. It's one of those microwave-able soups." Kirsten added.

"Ah, I see…So Ryan, when are you going back to school." Seth asked. 

Ryan looked at Kirsten. "I don't know. I was thinking…tomorrow." Ryan replied.

"Tomorrow? Ryan, we agreed that you would go back when you are ready." Kirsten said, placing the bowl of soup in front of him.

"I am ready." Ryan said, grabbing the spoon from the bowl with his left hand. His right hand lay on his lap as he slurped in some soup.

"Well…If that's what you think, Ryan. I'll have to talk to Sandy about it." Kirsten said. She glanced at Ryan; his left hand was shaking. He still wasn't used to eating with his left hand, and he should get used to it, Kirsten thought. Kirsten sat down next to Ryan. "Here, let me help you…You know you should be trying to use your right arm as much as possible." Kirsten took the spoon from Ryan's left hand and placed it in his right hand.

"Kirsten…" Ryan started to protest, but it was hard to ignore her. Ryan couldn't pull his right arm away from her. So instead, he then pulled his whole body away from Kirsten, and the soup that had been on his spoon was now all over Seth's face. "I'm not hungry." Ryan said, then left and went back into the poolhouse.

Seth wiped the soup away from his face and stood up. "Just leave him alone Mom…He just got back from the hospital and needs some space."

Kirsten buried her face in her hands and Seth walked off to the poolhouse to go check up on Ryan. 

Seth knocked on the glass door and there was no response, so he walked in. Ryan was sitting down on his bed starring at the wall ahead of him.

"You okay?" Seth asked, as he went and sat down on the end of Ryan's bed. Ryan didn't say anything. "You want me to go get you something to eat?"

"No, it's okay." Ryan said dryly, pulling himself off his bed with his left arm and walking over to the couch and sitting down. "So how's everything with Summer?" Ryan asked, changing the subject.

"Good…She was over last night and we were making out. Mom and Dad almost caught us too…but good thing I fell off my bed when my Dad came into my room—without knocking." Seth said looking at Ryan, who wasn't paying attention to him, but he didn't care. "So, you think you're going to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm fine…" Ryan said, looking down at his arm. "It's weird, you know, I can't feel it, yet I see it. It's freaky."

Seth didn't know what to say to Ryan. Ryan looked perfectly normal to him, not freaky at all. It didn't even look like he had gotten shot just over a week and a half ago. "Well, don't worry. You'll get the feeling back."

"Yeah, that's what they keep telling me…But to tell you the truth, Seth, I don't believe them. I mean, shouldn't I at least feel _something_ already?" Ryan asked.

Seth hesitated, "Well, I'm sure once you start going to rehab it will help. You just have to make sure you use your arm as much as possible."

Ryan shot a look at Seth. "You know I can't use it."

"I know, and that's why I have to for you."

"What are you talking about, Seth?"

"Mom and Dad asked me to help you out…I know, I know" Seth said, throwing his hands up the air. "But dude, if you want to get better you have to let people help you." Ryan didn't say anything. "Hey, why don't we go do something to cheer you up."

"Who said I need cheering up?"

Seth laughed at Ryan and ignored him. "Come on, we could…" Seth thought for a moment. He wanted to show Ryan his new playstation game, but Ryan wouldn't be able to play it. So that was out the question. "Why don't we call up Luke and see what he's doing?" Seth couldn't believe that he actually wanted to hang out with Luke.

Ryan shrugged. "Sure, why don't you go ask your Mom if it's okay if we go out then, and I'll call him." Seth agreed and left the poolhouse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"You know Seth, you shouldn't really be drinking all that much. How many have you had?" Ryan questioned.

"Two, Mom. Anything else?" Seth asked, as he opened another beer. "Oh look, I'm going on to my third one." He pointed out and raised his third beer up at Luke's beer. Their beers met and smashed into each other, causing beer to go everywhere. Seth sat back and continued watching the baseball game that was on TV. "You know what…I don't even like baseball."

"Then why are we watching it?" Ryan asked, walking over to Luke's fridge and pulling out a beer for himself. He tried to screw open the top with his left hand. "Shit." Ryan mumbled to himself. He fumbled with the beer and it fell to the floor. The beer smashed to the floor and beer was everywhere. "Shit, sorry Luke…I'll clean it up."

"No worries, just leave it. Wouldn't be the first." Luke said, grabbing another beer from the fridge and opening it for Ryan. He handed it to Ryan. "Just ask when you want another one."

"Thanks." Ryan mumbled and went back to the couch. He didn't know why they were watching baseball in the first place. It was only a reason to get drunk. Ryan wasn't into drinking a lot, but right now it helped him relax. He could tell that it had a different effect on Seth. He was even more bubbly than ever, which was definitely scary.

After his first beer, Ryan grabbed another one from the fridge and Luke gladly opened it for him. Seth was going on his fourth when his cell phone rang.

"Hey—lo?"

"Seth?" He heard his dad's voice on the other line. "Where are you?"

"Uh, at Luke's." Seth began to laugh hysterically at the television. "Dude, I would have hit that one!" 

"Hello? Seth, do you know what time it is?"

Seth looked at his watch. "Uh, it's seven…twenty, no…seven…"

"Seven-thirty. Seth, are you drunk?"

Seth laughed into his cell phone. "No."

"Can I talk to Ryan?" Sandy asked. He could hear Ryan and Luke in the background talking about baseball statistics.

Seth handed the cell phone to Ryan. "Hey."

"You guys forgot to call to tell Kirsten and I that you wouldn't be home for dinner. Have you had dinner yet?" Sandy asked

Ryan looked over at Seth. _If beer and chips were considered dinner, yes._ Ryan thought to himself. "No, not yet."

"Are you guys drinking there?" Sandy could hear Seth's laughter.

"No, comedy channel is on…You know how Seth gets."

"Okay…Well, I want you two to come home. We still need to discuss about you going to school tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sure…We'll leave right now, Bye." Ryan said, then flipped the cell phone off and got up. "We've got to go."

"I'll drive you home." Luke offered.

"Uh, I don't think that's such a great idea…How many beers have you had?"

"Five."

"No, we'll just take a cab."

"No worries, Ryan. Chill…I actually drive better when I'm drunk."

"Whatever, let's just go." Ryan said. Seth stood up and stumbled back onto the couch. "Shit, Seth…I told your dad that we weren't drunk. You better sober up, and fast."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan ditched Seth as soon as they got home and went around back to the poolhouse. He didn't want to eat dinner with the Cohen's tonight. His two beers had filled him up a bit. He decided he just needed to lie down and listen to some music. He went over to his CD collection and picked out one of Seth's favorite CD's, Brand New. He plopped it into the CD player and the song Guernica played loudly throughout the poolhouse. He went back over to his bed and drifted off to sleep until there was a knock at the door.

Sandy walked into the poolhouse and stood there with his arms over his chest. Ryan opened his eyes and looked at him. Sandy was in one of his 'serious' moods.

"Dinner's ready." Sandy said.

"I'm not hungry." Ryan replied dryly

"Well, I heard you didn't eat lunch. And it's obvious you've been drinking, Ryan. Which isn't good on an empty stomach."

Ryan sighed. "Fine." He got up from the bed and followed Sandy into the dinning room, where Kirsten was waiting for them. Seth wasn't at the table.

"Where's Seth?" Sandy asked, sitting down next to Ryan at the table.

"Don't ask, Sandy." She said, raising her hand up at him.

Sandy let it go and helped himself to the roast beef, mash potatoes and veggies. Using his left hand, Ryan helped himself to some mash potatoes and veggies.

"You turning into a vegetarian, Ryan?" Sandy asked, looking down at Ryan's plate. 

The only reason Ryan didn't have meat was because he didn't want to risk the embarrassment of trying to cut the meat. "No, I told you I wasn't hungry." Ryan said, picking at his mash potatoes.

Both Kirsten and Sandy looked at him.

Changing the subject, Sandy asked, "So, do you really think that you can go to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ryan lied. He really didn't want to go to school, but he also didn't want to spend the entire day in the poolhouse alone. 

"Well, I guess so." Sandy said, "I'll pick you up right after school tomorrow. I've already scheduled your rehab appointments. You go every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from four to five."

Ryan was in disbelief. "Three days a week?" He asked, still picking at his mash potatoes.

"It's what Dr. Shorans suggested. He also suggested that you start using your arm as much as possible." Sandy added. "Like now…"

If Ryan could, he would yell at Sandy and tell him to just leave him alone. But he had already done that before and he knew that it had not gone too smoothly on his behalf. "I know." He looked at Sandy, who was looking at his right arm. He knew Sandy wanted to help him eat, but he certainly wasn't going to let him. "I'm really not that hungry, guys. Can I be excused?" 

"Ryan I want you to use your arm." Sandy said, dropping his own fork in his plate. "You have to use it, Ryan."

"Okay, I know." Ryan said, raising his voice. "That's what everyone is telling me…I get it, okay." Ryan stood up and left the table. 

As soon as Kirsten heard the patio doors slam she spoke up, "He's got to stop that, Sandy."

"I know, Kirsten." Sandy snapped at her. 

"Sandy, don't…" Kirsten stopped herself before she said anything she would regret. She wasn't sure whose side she was on anymore. "I'm going to bed early." Kirsten said, walking off with her plate to the kitchen.

Sandy sat at the table alone, _what the hell happened?_ He thought to himself, _I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight._

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay guys'…short chapter I know, I'm trying to update every 2-3 days to keep you guys interested! Next chapter is going to be a good one, I promise. More of Ryan and Marissa in it…more school…. More Seth/Summer and Anna. Stay tuned…and please review! Thx.


	10. Chapter Ten

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters. you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Ten

__

Everyone knows what went down   
Because the news was spread all over town   
And fact is only what you believe   
And fact and fiction work as a team   
It's almost always fiction in the end   
That content begins to bend 

Its All Understood - Jack Johnson

"Cohen! Come on, let's get a move on it!" Summer yelled from the Cohen's driveway. Seth then came running out of the house, without Ryan. "Where's Ryan? We don't have all day. We're already going to be late at the rate you two are going."

Seth climbed into the passenger seat of Summer's car and glared at her. "It's only eight, Summer. We're not late."

Summer sighed, "Where's Ryan?!" Just then Ryan appeared. "Come on, let's go!" Summer was getting frustrated. She had agreed to drive them to school at seven forty-five, not eight. "Seat belts!" Summer said, as she put the car into reverse and backed out of the Cohen's lane way.

Ryan sat in the back seat of Summer's car enjoying the bickering between Summer and Seth. They were like a married couple. 

"It's 'la champagne'! Not 'le champagne'." Summer corrected.

"No, it's 'le champagne'! Trust me, I'm the one that didn't fail French." Seth added. 

"Whatever, Cohen. We all know that its 'la champagne', right Ryan?" Summer asked, looking at Ryan through her rearview mirror.

"Uh, actually Summer, I think is 'le'.But, seriously, who cares. Why are you guys fighting over it in the first place."

Both Summer and Seth shrugged.

"So, Marissa's coming back to school today." Summer said, changing the subject.

Ryan ignored Summer and continued looking out the window. Right now he didn't want to think about Marissa. He just wanted to think about nothing for once in his lifetime. But he knew that it was impossible, considering he was an Atwood and he was known to have bad luck his entire life. 

When they got to school, Ryan walked off on his own, leaving Summer and Seth fighting over French words. He saw the glances the rich kids were throwing him. He wasn't blind and could see them a mile away. 

Ryan met up with Luke at his locker. "Hey, so how much shit did you guys get in last night?" Luke asked.

"None, really." Ryan replied, fiddling with the lock on his locker. When he finally got it open he threw in his backpack and grabbed his first period books. Ryan and Luke then walked off to their first period class.

When Ryan walked into the class, the whole room went silent. He made his way to the back of the class and took a seat next to Luke. A couple of Luke's friends were starring at him and laughed. Ryan looked at Luke.

Luke stood up and walked over to his old group of friends. "What the hell are you guys looking at?" Luke demanded. "Oh-what's that? Can't hear you?" Luke put his hand up to his ear. 

Chad and his friend, Craig, sat there and flashed a look over to Ryan. "Chino's your boyfriend now or what?" Chad asked, a smirk plastered on his face. Both Chad and Craig laughed.

"Watch what you say." Luke threatened. The teacher then walked into the class and Luke took his seat. "Sorry about that." Luke whispered to Ryan. 

Ryan nodded at him and continued starring straight up at the blackboard, where the teacher kept on hiding his glances at Ryan. Ryan then raised up his hand without even thinking of why.

"Yes, Mr. Atwood?" Mr. Schmidt asked.

"Uh, I forgot my textbook in my locker. Can I go get it?" Ryan asked, ignoring Chad and Craig's snickers.

"Fine." Mr. Schmidt said, and Ryan walked out of the classroom. He felt very uncomfortable. Everyone was looking and him and his stone-still arm that hung by his side. When he finally made it out of the class, he let out a big sigh and walked down the deserted hallways, not really caring where he went. He regretted not listening to Sandy and Kirsten. He should have stayed home today. Hell, he should have just buried himself in a hole and never woken up. 

With his head down, Ryan walked the hallways for what seemed like the whole first period. Then, all of a sudden, he heard his name. He recognized the voice, but wasn't sure whom the voice belonged to. He turned around and noticed Dr. Kim standing in the hallway starring down at him sympathetically. 

"Ryan?" Dr. Kim called his name again, walking up to him.

Ryan looked around in the hallways making sure no one was around. "Sorry, I was just going to my locker to get my textbook."

"How about we go to my office, Ryan. I think we need to have a talk."

Ryan nodded and followed Dr. Kim to her office.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Hey, Anna." Luke walked up to Anna in the food court and sat down next to her.

"Oh-Hey, Luke."

"Have you seen Ryan?" Luke asked, biting down hard into his chicken wrap, causing Mayo to run down his chin.

Anna gave him a disgusted look and offered him a napkin. "No, I haven't. I didn't even know he was coming to school today. How's he doing?"

"Fine, I guess. He just disappeared though.Maybe he's with Seth." Luke said, cleaning up the Mayo on his face. He then turned his full attention to Anna. "Anna.I was wondering." Luke couldn't believe that he was actually going to ask Anna Stern out. He never realized how much he liked her until a few weeks ago. "I was wondering.if maybe some time.you know, we could hang?"

"Hang? As in go on a date.Together?" Anna asked in disbelief. _How dumb does he think I am?_ Anna thought to herself. "Uh, I." But before she could continue Seth and Summer sat down at the table and interrupted.

"Hey, Anna." Summer said, offering her a soft smile. "Hey, Luke."

Luke nodded and bit down into his wrap.

Anna got up from her seat, "Sure Luke, I'd like that a lot." She then grabbed her books. "I've got an algebra test to study for. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure, yeah.Go study." Luke said, with a smile on his face. 

"Um, what was that all about?" Summer asked.

"I just asked Anna out." Luke said. 

Seth nearly choked on a piece of chip. "Okay, that's just by far the freakiest thing ever, Luke."

"Eww! You're going out with Pittsburgh?" Summer exclaimed.

"Okay, both of you shut up." Luke said, then changed the subject. "Have you guys seen Ryan? He just disappeared from first class and I haven't seen him since."

Both Seth and Summer shook their head.

Seth was having a mental picture in his head. He pictured Anna and Luke making out. He shivered at the thought and took a hold on Summers hand. "Come on, let's go. I'm not really that hungry. Why don't we go play a game of pool before the bell rings?"

"And kick your ass? Sure!" Summer added.

Seth rolled his eyes at Luke and left the table, leaving him alone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After leaving Dr. Kim's office Ryan headed for his locker to grab his backpack, where he noticed Marissa leaning on his locker waiting for him.

"Hey." Marissa said, getting out of Ryan's way. "Can we talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" Ryan asked. His left hand was shaking from the tension of the day. He fumbled with the lock and opened his locker.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you at the hospital. I didn't mean any of it. I was still overwhelmed by what happened to you and Oliver."

Ryan didn't say anything.

"Look Ryan, I'm sorry. I want to be with you.I still love you." Marissa said.

"No, you had your chance and you blew it with Oliver. I can't love you." Ryan said, pulling his locker shut. "I just can't love you anymore."

"You don't have to love me, Ryan." Marissa replied. "You can't just ignore me, Ryan. You need me as much as I need you right now. Can we at least be friends?"

Ryan knew she was right. He did need her right now. She was the only one that understood him. "Friends? I-I think I can do that. But just not right here, right now, okay? I have to go." Ryan started to walk off.

"Wait!" Marissa caught up to him. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Kiss me." Seth demanded.

"What are you talking about, Cohen?" Summer asked. 

"If you like me, you'll kiss me."

"You know I like you, Seth Cohen!" She turned around and noticed Holly and a couple of other girls laughing at them. "Is that why you want me to kiss you? Because they are jealous of us?"

"Just kiss me and we'll find out, won't we?" Seth said, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer to him. Summer kissed him and kissed him long. "See, that wasn't bad, now was it?" 

"Not bad at all, Cohen. Which makes me wonder.how are you so good at kissing? I mean.It's not like you've had anyone to kiss."

"You prove a point there, Summer." Seth said raising his finger to his lip. "But, I guess I'm just a natural."

Summer laughed at him. "I have my suspicions." She kissed him again, but this time on the cheek. Behind her, she heard the giggles of the girls who were supposed to be her friends. Not anymore though, she thought to herself and smiled. "I'm going to go over to Marissa's, want to come?"

"No-I've got to uh, go study for a test." Seth lied. "Have you seen Ryan?"

"Nope."

"Huh, he told me to meet him here after school today. My dad's supposed to drop me off at home and take Ryan to rehab."

"Rehab? Isn't that, like, a place for mental cases?" Summer asked.

"Uh, no, Summer. It's like physiotherapy, you know, where you get to use your arm again." Seth then saw his dad pulling up in the parking lot of the school. "Well, I guess I'll call you later then?"

"Sure, Cohen. Bye!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and Seth could hear his dad laughing.

"Daaad!" Seth groaned and hopped into the car, watching Summer walk away. "Promise me you'll never embarrass me like that_ ever_ again!"

"Okay, I promise." Sandy said, raising his right hand to his chest. "Where's Ryan?"

"No clue. Luke said he just disappeared in the middle of class, so I don't know where he is."

"Huh, odd." Sandy pulled out his cell phone and called home. It rang three times until someone picked it up. "Ryan, you're home?"

"Yeah, sorry. I forgot to let you know. Dr. Kim sent me home."

"Oh, okay. Well I'm on my way to pick you up."

"Okay."

"Bye." Sandy flipped his cell phone off and drove out onto the city roads.

"So, he wasn't abducted by aliens?" Seth asked. "'Cause I was hoping he was.I mean, you know cool that would be. It would be just like the X-Files-But way better though, none of that David Duchovny crap where-"

"Seth." Sandy stopped him.

"Yeah?"

Sandy laughed at his son. "You should really reconsider your options and take up Law School after High School. We would make a great team."

"Yeah, the day I marry Summer Roberts is the day I become a lawyer."

Sandy eyed his son. "I wouldn't say that if I were you, because that day might actually come."

"Whatever dad, just keep your eyes on the road and let's go home."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan was already thirty minutes into the therapy when he had enough of it. This lady was forcing his arm to do something that he couldn't do.

"Come on, Ryan," The lady named Chelsea, picked up his right arm and began flexing it. He felt like a child, the way she talked to him. "I need you do to this everyday, four times a day, for fifteen minutes, okay?" She looked at Ryan then at Sandy who was sitting in a chair at the corner of the room reading a magazine. "Don't be afraid to ask anyone for help, okay?"

"Yeah." Ryan replied. Chelsea still had a firm grip on his arm. She was pulling it up and down, left to right. Ryan felt embarrassed. Chelsea was hot-really hot and Ryan began to turn shades of red, every time she spoke to him.

"Okay," Chelsea grabbed a ball and placed it in Ryan's hand. "Now use your other hand to help flex the muscles in your right hand. I want you do to this every time you are bored, okay?" Ryan nodded and began to use his left hand to help his right hand. "There you go, just keep on doing that." She stood up from the table they were sitting at and walked over to Sandy.

Sandy looked up from his magazine. "Everything good?"

"Sure is, Mr. Cohen. Let's say we call it a day. The first day is always tough on the patients." Chelsea said, looked at Ryan. "He's doing good. You just have to make sure he uses his right arm. And like I showed you earlier, when he eats, someone needs to support his arm and hand. But you can't force him too much. Too much strain on the arm is bad, okay?"

Sandy nodded his head and stood up to shake Chelsea's hand. "Thank you, and we'll see you on Wednesday."

Ryan dropped the ball onto the table and waved to Chelsea as he left the room with Sandy. It wasn't until they were almost home when Sandy finally spoke. "So, how was it?"

Ryan only shrugged. 

"So.Chelsea.She's a pretty thing. Don't you think? She looks around your age, you know." Sandy commented.

Ryan blushed. "Try late twenties, Sandy."

This time it was Sandy's turn to shrug. "So, what happened at school today?"

Ryan didn't say anything. He kept looking out the window.

"If you don't tell me, I can always call Dr. Kim and ask." Sandy said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"She just called me into her office and we talked. She told me that I didn't have to go to detention anymore and that the break-in is not going to be looked at, considering everything that happened."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and she told me to go home."

"Oh, so you'll listen to the 'dragon lady' but not me?" Sandy laughed and eyed Ryan from the corner of his eye. He saw Ryan produce a small smile on his face. "So, does that mean you're not going to school tomorrow?"

"I'm going to school tomorrow.Today was just a little hard, but tomorrow will come easier to me." Ryan replied, as they pulled up into the Cohen's driveway.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Ryan sat around the Cohen's dinner table. They were eating pizza; which Kirsten didn't cook, thank God. Ryan felt relieved. No one forced him to eat with his right hand.

Just as they were piling the dishes in the sink the phone rang and Ryan picked it up. "Hello?"

"Oh, hey! It's me, Summer. Is Seth there?" Summer asked, her voice was all bubbly.

"Sure, hold on." Ryan said, walking into the den and handing the phone over to Seth. He was in the middle of playing video games.

"Hello?" Seth said.

"Hey! Oh my god, guess what!"

"Oh my god, whaaaat?" Seth shrieked out.

"Cohen, never do that again!" Summer said, then continued on. "I just had the brightest idea ever!"

"Whoa, I got to hear this!" Seth yelled out sarcastically. Ryan was giving Seth his brooding look. 

"Okay, Coop just called me and was like crying over Ryan and all, and well I had the brightest idea, like I said." Summer was rambling on. "Anyway, we need to go out! Bring Ryan too and I'll bring Marissa."

Seth looked at Ryan, who was looking at him, then walked out of the den and into the kitchen. "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea.I mean, with all that's happened."

"Cohen, she loves him! And he did say he wanted to be friends with her! Now all they need is a little pushing together. Just imagine." Summer said, "Ryan and Marissa happy! Just like it was before.. Before Oliver came along and screwed everything up!"

"Hmm, that is a good idea. But, like I said, don't you think it's a little early to go all." Seth stopped himself before he gave too much away to Ryan, who just in the other room. "Where should we go? It's a school night, we can't do anything.well. Whatever. What do you guys usually do when you hang?"

"Well, we could go over to Marissa's. Her dad is supposed to be going over to your house tonight to talk business with you dad."

"A movie?" Seth asked. He did not want to go over to Marissa's house to watch some sappy-lovey-dovey, girls' movie. "My choice?"

Summer let out a sigh. "If that what it has to take to get you come over with Ryan."

"You're on!" Seth said.

"Okay, great! Come on over right now, I'm leaving my place right now. I told Marissa we're just watching TV. So just tell Ryan you guys are.are going over to a game store.I don't know! Anything! Okay? Bye!" Summer shrieked out, hanging up the phone.

Seth walked back into the den. "What did Summer want?" Ryan asked suspiciously.

"Uh, nothing, just obsessing over something.Hey, do want to come to the store with me? I've been dying to buy this new video game!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, how did everything go with Ryan today?" Kirsten asked. 

"Rehab? It went good.I mean, it's not like he loved it.But you know.It went good." Sandy replied, keeping his eyes fixated on the television screen.

"You're as bad as Seth, Sandy." Kirsten commented, pulling the playstation controller out of Sandy's hand. "Don't you think we should have punished the boys for what they did the other night? They shouldn't be drinking."

Sandy looked at Kirsten. "I'm sure at seventeen you got drunk with your friends."

Kirsten laughed, "True, but what I'm trying to say is.We just have to be careful with Ryan. He has a history of alcoholism in his family and I don't want him to think its okay to drink when he wants. And I don't want Seth thinking he can drink, either."

"Okay, fine. I'll talk to the both of them when they get home."

"Where did they go again?"

"Seth dragged Ryan off to some game store." The doorbell rang and Sandy stood up. "I must attend to some business." Sandy said in a deep, intimidating voice.

Kirsten laughed, "You two have fun."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Seth, why are we at Marissa's?" Ryan questioned. "What happened with going to the video game store?" He was getting nervous now. Seth didn't say anything and parked the Range Rover. "Seth!" Ryan yelled out to him.

Seth got out of the car and headed up the steps on Marissa's place. "Come on, Ryan.We're just going to watch a movie.That's all, I promise."

Ryan shot Seth a glare. "You lied to me, Seth. I'm not going in there."

"Well good luck getting home then, cause I'm staying." Seth said, knocking on the door. He could here Summer yelling.

"HOLD ON!" Summer then pulled the door open. "Hey guys, come on in."

"Do I smell popcorn?" Seth called out, walking into the house. He then took a seat on the couch, next to the bowl of popcorn. He then pulled out a movie, Caddyshack "Hope you guys are up for a fun night!"

Ryan took a seat next to Seth on the couch. "I'm going to kill you." Ryan whispered. Marissa then walked into the living room. Ryan nodded towards her direction.

"Hey." Marissa said. "What movie are we watching?"

"The best movie ever, Caddyshack." Seth said, throwing more popcorn in his mouth. "Want some?" Seth offered Ryan.

Ryan glared at Seth. He wasn't in the mood for Seth's 'comedy' right now, nor was he in the mood to watch some stupid movie. He didn't want to be a party-pooper, but this wasn't exactly what he planned on doing tonight anyway. "Seth, I think I should go." Ryan said.

Marissa was confused. Summer had told her that Ryan wanted to see her tonight. But from the looks of it, he didn't want to see her. He did say he wanted to be friends. 

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Seth asked.

"I've got a lot of homework to catch up on.. This wasn't a good idea." Ryan replied, then looked over at Marissa. He could see the hurt in her eyes. "Maybe another night?" Ryan lied. He didn't want another night, the way this night was going. He was having second thoughts about Marissa. As much as he wanted to be her friend, he couldn't. Oliver was still in his way. He would never tell Seth that, or anyone for that matter. Maybe Oliver was right when he said Marissa wasn't right for him. 

Summer walked into the room. "No, you can't leave, Ryan! You just got here."

"Look I know what you guys are doing." Ryan said. He turned over to Marissa. "Sorry, I have to go." 

"Wait, Ryan." Seth pulled out his keys and through them at Ryan, but Ryan missed them and they fell to the floor. "Take the Range Rover.I'll, uh, get a ride home from Summer."

"Seth, I shouldn't be driving.My arm, its not safe."

"Ryan, I've never seen you drive with two hands on the wheel. Just take the car, its okay." Seth replied.

Ryan couldn't believe that Seth wasn't going to ditch the girls and go with him. Maybe he was wrong after all. Maybe Seth wasn't really a good friend to him, like he thought he was. "Uh, yeah, fine.Whatever." Ryan said, slamming the door behind him.

"Coop, I'm so sorry!" Summer said, turning to Marissa. "I thought.. I thought it could all work out."

"Whatever, Summer.Let's just watch the movie."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, I'm glad you stayed tonight." Summer said. She was parked right out side the Cohen's house.

"Me too." Seth said, shyly. "Sorry, about Ryan and everything.Maybe it was just too early."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Yeah, well.I better get going. I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Sure, you two need a ride in the morning?"

"That would be awesome." Seth replied, opening the door of Summer's car. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. Bye" 

"Bye." Summer blew a kiss at Seth and drove off.

Seth walked into his house. It was quiet, too quiet. After searching the house for Ryan, he went to the poolhouse. He knocked at the glass door but didn't hear anything, so he walked in.

"Ryan? Dude, you in the bathroom?" Seth yelled out, knocking on the bathroom door. He didn't hear anything. He then opened the bathroom door, but Ryan wasn't there. He went back into the house and went upstairs to go find his parents.

Seth opened the door to his parent's bedroom. "Whoa, Dad.Mom.Sorry." 

"Oh, Seth." Sandy rolled off Kirsten. "It's not what it looks like.I mean.You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah, sure Dad. Whatever you say.You do realize that I'm never going to sleep tonight. Thanks a lot."

"Seth!" Kirsten yelled out to Seth. Seth moaned and closed the door shut.

Seth lay down on his bed and threw a pillow over his face. He wanted to scream so loud into it, but he knew that it would not accomplish anything. Today had been a long day for him. Luke and Anna together, his parents making out - half-naked, Ryan.Wait, Ryan.Where is Ryan? Before he could finished his thoughts there was a knock at his door.

"Come in." Seth yelled, through the pillow.

Sandy walked into Seth's room and sat at his computer chair. "So, I see you've decided to take 'pillow talk' a step further."

Seth through his pillow at Sandy, "I was actually trying to suffocate myself, but that wasn't working."

"Oh. Well, about what you saw.It was nothing. Really."

"Yeah, I know Dad. You don't have to go all weird on me. I'm seventeen and I know a lot more than you think I do." Seth said, sitting up on his bed.

"Oh, uh, okay then, good. So, how was the comic book store?" Sandy asked.

"Uh, it was the video game store.Have you seen Ryan?"

"No, he was with you.wasn't he?"

"Uh, yeah.But I let him drive himself home because.Because I saw Summer there and she wanted to hang out with me. So I gave Ryan the car keys and he said he was going home to work on his homework."

Sandy was mad. "You let Ryan drive home! Seth, how can you do that? Did you not think of his arm?"

"Sorry, I thought maybe he was okay to drive.Are you sure he's not home?" Seth asked nervously. He knew he screwed up badly.

"No, he's not here." Sandy stood up and paced the room. "Does he have a cell phone on him?"

"No.I have it." 

"Great, just great. For all we know he could be in an accident and not even know it! I can't believe you! This is very irresponsible of you Seth." And with that Sandy left the room, leaving Seth stunned.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, I hoped you liked the chapter. This story has taken a sharp turn.and I promise a little less angst in the next chapter. Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter Eleven

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters. you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Eleven

__

"With your feet in the air and your head on the ground,  
Try this trick and spin it, yeah  
Your head will collapse  
But there's nothing in it   
And you'll ask yourself  
Where is my mind."

Where is my Mind - Pixies

Ryan was livid. How could Seth ditch him like that? He got into the Range Rover and turned the ignition on and squealed the tires while backing out on to the street. His right arm lay on his lap as he drove off. As soon as he got to the first stop sign he had to take a right turn to get onto the heavy traffic. Who was he kidding? He was in no condition to drive; he couldn't take the turn with only one hand. It was impossible. So he parked the car on the side of the road and contemplated on what he was going to do next.

It was only seven o'clock and he didn't want to walk back to Marissa's house. He wasn't in the mood to watch a movie, or talk to anyone, especially Marissa. So Ryan decided he was going to walk home. It was a far walk, but he didn't mind; he needed to clear his head anyway. By the time eight o'clock rolled around, he was almost home. But he didn't want to go home, so he decided to call Luke from a phone booth.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Sandy, calm down." Kirsten told him. Sandy was pacing the kitchen floor with the phone in one hand. "Just give him some more time. I'm sure there's a perfect explanation for all of this." Kirsten said, trying to reassure him. She wanted to believe herself too, but she didn't.

"It's nine-thirty, Kirsten. He should be home. Maybe I should call around and see-" He stopped talking as soon as he heard the front door slam. Sandy went to go see. "Ryan!"

Ryan pulled the car keys out of his pocket and tossed them over to Sandy. "It's parked a couple of blocks from Marissa's house." He looked at the two adults, he could tell they were just talking about him by their facial expressions. "I'm a little tired, I'm going to bed." Ryan said, walking past them.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" Sandy said, pulling Ryan back. "Why is my car parked on a street at Marissa's?

"Seth told me to drive myself home, and I did. Well kind of.I realized I couldn't so I parked it and walked home. I didn't mean to worry you guys, really."

Sandy was relieved. "No, Ryan.we're not worried." Kirsten shot him a look. "Okay, maybe I was worried, but you made the right decision. You were in no condition to drive with that arm of yours."

"Okay, so I can go now?" Ryan asked.

Kirsten nodded her head in approval. 

"Wait, Ryan. It doesn't take almost three hours to walk home from Marissa's."

"Well.I went over to Luke's around eight. I got tired from walking."

"Are you drunk?" Sandy asked.

"What?" Ryan was shocked. "No. No.No, I'm not drunk. What makes you think I'm drunk?"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but last night you and Seth went over to Luke's and got drunk. Then you go over to his place tonight, again. What am I supposed to think. I smell cigarettes and alcohol off of you." Sandy said

Ryan held up his left hand. "One beer and one cigarette. That's it, that's all. I swear."

"No more drinking, Ryan. Or else-" 

Kirsten cut Sandy off. "Smoking? Why were you smoking? I thought you quit?"

"I did quit, but you know how it goes."

"No, we don't." Kirsten retorted.

"I just got stressed out, okay. There's a lot going on and I'm actually really tired right now. Can I go to bed now?" Ryan asked.

"Fine. But you're not going to school tomorrow." Sandy said.

Ryan didn't argue and left to the poolhouse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan's alarm clock buzzed away throughout the morning. He had forgotten to turn it off last night. After pressing snooze several times, he finally woke up. It was only seven-thirty in the morning and everyone was still home. He rolled off his bed and threw his feet into the sleepers, then dragged himself into the Cohen's kitchen and sat down on a stool at the counter.

"Morning." Kirsten said, strolling into the kitchen with floor plans in one hand and a coffee in the other. "Hungry?" Kirsten asked, dropping her papers and coffee on the counter and pulling out a variety of cereals.

Ryan shrugged. "Not really."

Kirsten looked at him and said, "Coffee?"

Ryan nodded and Kirsten poured him a cup of coffee and set it down in front of him.

"You're spending way too much time with Seth. You're beginning to drink like him!" Kirsten commented, picking up her papers and coffee. "Well, I'm off to the office. Don't spend too much time in front of the television. Bye."

"Bye." Ryan said, sipping his coffee.

As soon as he heard the front door slam, he instantaneously dropped his coffee on the counter. Coffee went flying everywhere. "Ah, shit." Ryan mumbled. Ryan then realized what had frightened him. It was his arm.

Sandy walked into the kitchen and stood there, watching Ryan clean up the spilled coffee off the counter and his clothes. "Having trouble?" Sandy asked.

Ryan froze. "I, uh, I-"

"Whoa, Ryan, are you okay?" Sandy asked, walking up to him. He could sense a tension between the two of them. "It's just spilt coffee, Ryan. What's wrong?"

Ryan wanted to tell Sandy, but he knew he couldn't. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he didn't feel his right arm there for a second. Maybe he didn't feel the tingling sensation that had caused him to spill coffee everywhere. He tried to remember the feeling, but he lost it. "Nothing-Nothing's wrong."

Sandy eyed Ryan suspiciously. But before he could say anything else, Ryan rushed off. 

Ryan walked off and took off his shirt. The coffee had split all over him and he was hot. He thought for sure there was a burn on his stomach, but when he looked, there wasn't one. He then climbed the stairs by two and walked down the long hallways to Seth's bedroom. He knocked on the door, hoping that he was still home and not at school. There was no answer, so he walked in.

Ryan walked into the room and found Seth and Summer making out on Seth's bed. Neither of them noticed him, so Ryan knocked on Seth's wall.

Seth jerked himself up and pulled his shirt over his head. "Oh, hey Ryan." Seth said, sheepishly. "We're not late, are we?"

"I'm not going to school."

"Oh.Well then, I guess Summer and I need to get going." Seth replied, grabbing his backpack off the ground.

"See you later, Ryan." Summer said, as she brushed his bare chest.

"Seth, can we talk?" Ryan asked.

"If this is about last night, I'm sorry. Believe me, you don't know how sorry I am. Mom and Dad already grounded me from the playstation."

"No, it's not about last night."

"What about, then?" Seth looked at Ryan's T-shirt in his hand. "What's with the abs exposure.You're not trying to hit on _my_girlfriend, are you?"

Ryan looked at him seriously. "No, I split coffee on it."

"Oh, right.Okay. So what do you want to talk about?"

"You know what, uh, just nevermind. It's nothing."

"You sure?" Seth asked. He was a little concerned. Ryan was usually never up for talking and when he was, Seth always just had to ruin the moment by some quick-witted comment. "Well, it can't be nothing if you came all the way up here to talk to me." Seth pointed out.

"Right, but now it's nothing." Ryan said, tuning around and leaving Seth.

"Okay, but I'm here if you need me!" Seth shouted out to Ryan.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan reminisced the whole day in his room. He couldn't help but think about the past and how he ended up at the Cohen's. It was over six months ago when he was still living in Chino with his Trey, his Mom and A.J. 

Ryan lay down on his bed and fell asleep.

_Ryan was only eleven years old and his brother, Trey, was fourteen. Their dad had left them a year before and they were now living with their mom and her one-night stand boyfriends. _

"Kid, get your mother some food, will you!" Jim shouted, kicking Ryan in the back with his leg. Jim was Dawn's boyfriend at the time.

"But, we don't have anymore food in the kitchen." Ryan shot back, sitting on the floor next to his older brother. They were watching Sunday morning cartoons..

"Well then, both of you get off your asses and go get some before your mother wakes up."

"She's been sleeping for two days already.Is something wrong with her?" Ryan asked, standing up to look at Jim.

Jim grabbed Ryan by the shirt. "Get outta my face and go get me some food!" Jim yelled, shoving Ryan back to the floor. He took out his wallet, "Here's a twenty, go get something good. I want my change back!" Jim barked at the two boys.

"Come on, Ryan." Trey said, pulling his brother up off the floor.

Ryan and Trey left the house and biked their way to the local supermarket. They only spent ten dollars. On their way back home, Trey abruptly stopped his bike.

Ryan had his head down and was daydreaming when he bumped into Trey. 

"Watch it, Ryan!" Trey shouted at his younger brother. "Give me the ten bucks that's in your pocket." Trey asked, his hand out in front on Ryan.

"No, way. Jim wants his change.No, I'm not giving it to you." Ryan protested.

Trey threw his bike to the ground and grabbed the ten bucks out of his pocket. "I'll buy you something good with it, trust me. I've been saving up with all the extra money you've been keeping from Jim."

"What? You mean the money that you steal from me! I get my ass kicked for it.Give it back. I'm not getting my ass kicked again."

Trey shoved the ten bucks in his pocket and hopped on his bike. "It's for your own good, Ryan!" He shouted.

Later in the evening, Jim had woken up from his nap and beat Ryan over the missing change. Trey had left the house and came back when their mom and Jim were asleep again at night. He locked himself in his room with Ryan and pulled out five bottles of assorted alcohol.

"Here," Trey said, slipping a bottle of vodka in Ryan's hands. "This is for you.It's what you've been saving for."

Ryan awakened from his nightmare in a cold sweat. He looked around the poolhouse frantically, making sure he was still alone. He sighed, and remembered the nightmare he had just had. He was eleven and it was the first night that Ryan had gotten drunk with his brother. They hardly got drunk together, but when they did, it was bad. He usually woke up a couple of days after and had the worst hangovers. He shuddered at the thought of Jim. Jim was probably one of the worst boyfriend his mom had ever dated. Jim would always blame his problems and everyone else's problem on Ryan and beat him.

Ryan sat up in his bed and touched his right arm. He wished he could feel the slightest tingle.but when he touched it, there was nothing. Frustrated, he punched his right arm with his left hand, expecting any kind of pain.But there was no pain. He repeatedly punched his arm; in anger, he let out a sigh and stood up. Just then his phone rang.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse, from self-defeat. 

"Ryan, how are you doing?"

"Sandy.I'm fine." Ryan said, there was a pause on the other side of the line. "Why did you call?"

"Just checking to see how you were." Sandy lied.

"Right, well.I'm fine."

"Fine, then I guess I'll see you at five."

"Yeah.I'll see you later." Ryan was about to hang up the phone.

"Oh-wait, Ryan, make sure you exercise that arm of yours, okay?" Sandy asked, waiting for a response. "You there?"

"Yeah, I, uh." Ryan caught something out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm fine, Sandy. And I'll do my exercises. Bye." Ryan hung up the phone and walked over to his desk at the far side of the poolhouse.

He picked up the two items and starred at them.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Okay, that's just wrong." Summer pointed out to Seth.

"What? What's wrong?" Seth asked, shoving a French fry in his mouth.

"Look." Summer said, pointing over to Anna and Luke. "Are they seriously going out?"

"Uh, well.From the looks of it, yeah." Seth couldn't believe it himself. He knew that Anna was jealous of him because he was now dating Summer. "Oh, crap.Are they coming over here?"

Before Summer could reply, Luke and Anna walked up to them in the food court.

"Hey, Cohen.What's happening?" Luke asked.

"Uh, nothing.You?" Seth asked, starring at Anna. She had her arm wrapped around Luke and looked at him all puppy-eyed.

"Oh nothing, just grabbing some lunch. How's Ryan?"

"Uh, fine.Why?"

"Well, he was a little.I don't know.Not well last night and he came over and we talked a bit. Is he at school today?" Luke asked.

"No, he stayed home today." Seth said, holding back his facial expressions. How could Ryan talk to Luke and not him? But then he remembered that Ryan had wanted to talk to him earlier this morning, but he had ruined it. Was it that Luke was talking about? Seth kicked himself for not trying to help Ryan. As soon as he got home from school, he would talk to him.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bit of a short chapter, I know.but I want to update as much as possible. So stay tuned!


	12. Chapter Twelve

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twelve

__

"Breathe in good, breathe out bad,  
Remind yourself of the things you have, it's easy.  
Pull a smile onto your face,  
understand that making friends is easy."  
Self-help – Turin Brakes

The week had gone by really slow for Ryan. He spent most of his time in the poolhouse alone, except for going to physiotherapy with Sandy. The Cohen's kept on telling him to use his arm as much as possible. He was going crazy over all the attention he was getting. He wasn't used to it—and he didn't like it, at all. A couple of days ago, Seth tried to cheer him up and talk to him, but it didn't work. Ryan wanted to tell Seth that he had a tingle in his arm a couple of times throughout the week, but he didn't. He was afraid the tingling feeling would never come back and he would never feel his arm again.

Ryan sighed and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was eight o'clock in the morning, and a Saturday. The Cohen's were going to be home today, which meant fuss over using his arm, all day. Ryan got up and went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower before going into the Cohen's kitchen.

"'Morning." Seth said, looking up from his newspaper. "Coffee?" Ryan shrugged and Seth poured him a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

"Thanks." Ryan then went back to the poolhouse. He wasn't in the mood for talking right now.

"Hey, Seth. What are you doing up so early on a weekend?" Sandy asked, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm going sailing with Summer today." Seth grinned at his dad. "First time, too." 

"Huh. Finally showing the boat you named after her?"

"Yeah, Dad. That's exactly it."

Sandy laughed. "Well, have fun. What is Ryan doing today?" 

Seth shrugged. "I don't know. We haven't really been talking much."

"Oh? Is he mad at you or something?"

"No, I don't think so." Seth said, looked at his watch. "I've got to go. Can I borrow the car?" Seth asked.

Sandy grabbed his car keys from the counter and threw them at Seth. "Have a good time."

Seth left to go pick up Summer and Sandy left the house to go talk to Ryan. Sandy knocked softly on the glass door and walked in. 

Ryan fumbled with something in his hands and hid it under his pillow. "Hey." Ryan said, sitting up in his bed.

Sandy went and took a seat on one of the couches. "What are the plans for today?" 

Ryan shrugged. "I was just thinking of hanging around here…"

Sandy rubbed his eyes and sipped his coffee. "You've been sitting around here for a week now. What's up? How are you? Talk to me, I'm listening."

Ryan sighed. "There's nothing really for me to do." Ryan said, looking down at his arm. "What ever I want to do, I can't. So it doesn't matter…I'll never be able to do anything."

"Well, the doctors said you should have a little feeling soon." Sandy replied. Ryan frowned at him. "Ryan, you have to try your hardest. Don't give up."

"Whatever. Sandy, I'm, uh…" Ryan needed an escape. He couldn't stand all the attention. "Can I go over to Luke's?"

"After what happened last week?" Sandy asked.

"Sandy, I promise I won't drink. I don't even like drinking." Ryan admitting. "I won't smoke too." He added in, anticipating Sandy would let him.

"Okay, be back by dinner though." Sandy replied and Ryan nodded in agreement. Sandy then left the poolhouse. 

Ryan pulled out the tape recorder from underneath his pillow and examined it. He had the urge to throw it out, but now yet. He walked over to his desk in the far corner of the room and threw it in a drawer. He noticed his leather cuff lying on the desk and he picked it up. He stopped wearing it because he would no longer feel it on his wrist. He decided to put it on and then he called Luke.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, this is it?" Summer asked.

"This is it." Seth replied, handing her a life jacket. "Here put this on, just incase you fall in. I don't want to get wet, so you better float, if anything."

Summer laughed at Seth and put on the lifejacket.

"This is going to be awesome." Seth commented as he and Summer got on the sailboat. 

"What do I do?" Summer asked, once she was on the small boat.

"You do nothing. I'll do everything. You can just watch and laugh at me for awhile." Seth said pulling the boat out into the warm water and sailing off. 

Seth babbled on and on about the boat and sailing techniques and everything else. Summer listen carefully trying not to burst out laughing. Seth Cohen is adorable, she thought to herself. She didn't really think sailing was this much fun, but with Seth it was fun.

Seth let go off the ropes and let the little boat sail off into the water.

"I feel like we're trying to escape from pirates!" Summer shouted out to Seth.

"Only you, Summer…Only you." Seth commented, making his way over to her on the small boat. "So, we're in the middle of nowhere…hmm…What should we do?" Seth asked, sarcastically.

"You're such a boy, Cohen."

"Well, last time I checked, yeah."

Summer laughed and kissed Seth on the lips.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke's truck pulled up at the Cohen's house and Ryan got into the passenger seat. He laughed to himself, realizing that six months ago he was watching Marissa hop into the passenger seat. Now it was himself.

"So, what's up? Where are we off to today? My parents aren't home. We could go hang out there."

"Uh, sure, I guess." Ryan replied, looking back at the Cohen's house. He knew there would be drinking involved with Luke and he had promised the Cohen's he wouldn't drink. A promise was a promise, he reminded himself as they drove to Luke's house.

When they got to Luke's house, Marissa was sitting on his front porch. Marissa was surprised to see Ryan with Luke, as much as Ryan was surprised to Marissa at Luke's house. They got out of the truck and made their way over to Marissa. Ryan trailed behind Luke, hoping Marissa wouldn't talk to him. He fumbled with the cuff on his right wrist, which he could not feel.

"Hey, uh, hey Ryan." Marissa smiled at the two of them. 

Ryan nodded at her. 

"Hey, Marissa. What are you doing here?" Luke asked.

"I was just in the neighborhood and no one was home so I thought I'd just wait until you got home."

"Oh, well…is there something I can do for you then?"

"Talk. I need to talk to Ryan. If that's okay?"

Luke turned to look at Ryan. "Sure, I'll just be inside." Luke said, leaving Marissa and Ryan alone outside.

Ryan went up to the porch and sat beside Marissa.

"Sorry." Marissa apologized. "I haven't seen you at school for a week. How are you?"

"Fine." Ryan replied, making conversation short and simple.

Marissa started to cry next to Ryan. "It's not my fault, Ryan. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. You can't just stop talking to me. It doesn't work like that." She said, cradling her head in her hands. 

Ryan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. "I'm not mad at you. I'm just, well, I don't know how I feel about you anymore. I didn't trust me, Marissa."

Marissa looked up at his blue eyes. "I'm sorry, you were right. I understand that now. I understand everything and I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You don't deserve any of this."

"Okay." Ryan replied, not sure of what he meant.

"Okay?" Marissa questioned.

"Okay, we're okay." Ryan said, reassuring her. "Remember on the Ferris wheel I told you I don't like to express my feelings?" Ryan asked. 

Marissa nodded.

"Well, this is one of those times where I'm speechless and I don't know what to tell you. There's so much that has been going on lately."

Marissa laughed nervously. "You're speechless? That's a first." She replied, sarcastically.

Ryan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's just go slow at this, okay?" Ryan asked. He realized that was the same thing he said to his mother the day in the poolhouse when she had come back. He knew that this would be different than his mother. It had to be different.

Marissa nodded and smiled at him. Her face her wet with tears and Ryan stood up and brushed them away. "Luke and I, we were just going to hang out here. Did you want to, uh—"

Marissa cut him off. "Yeah, I'd like that."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Honey, I'm home!" Seth shouted, as soon as he walked into his house. Summer, by his side, laughed at him.

"You are too weird, Cohen." She commented.

Sandy and Kirsten were in the kitchen talking when Seth and Summer showed up, hand-in-hand.

"Hey guys, how was the sailing?" Sandy asked.

Seth smiled at Summer. "It was awesome, right Summer?" He asked.

Summer nodded. "Who knew sailing could be so much fun!"

Kirsten and Sandy laughed. "Are you here for dinner, Summer?" Kirsten asked.

"If that's okay?"

"We have plenty of food. We're having some take-out pizza."

Seth rubbed his belly. "Mmm, sounds good. Where's Ryan?"

"He and Marissa are in the poolhouse." Sandy replied.

Seth and Summer looked at each other. "Ryan and Marissa are in the poolhouse?" Seth repeated and both adults nodded their heads. "Weird." Seth commented, leaving his parents and walking with Summer outside. "Do you think we should check on them?" Seth asked. 

Summer shrugged. "Sure."

Seth and Summer walked into the poolhouse. Marissa was sitting on Ryan's bed reading a magazine and Ryan was sprawled out on the couch with a ball in his right hand.

"Hey." Marissa said, looking up from her magazine. "How was sailing?"

"It was awesome." Seth replied, eyeing Ryan to see what he was thinking, it didn't work. Ryan was expressionless. "So, uh, you two are, like, just hanging?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Ryan replied, grabbing the ball in his right hand and throwing it at Seth. It was a pretty good throw, considering he was right-handed and threw it left-handed.

Seth smiled. "That's awesome." Summer then pinched his side. "Ow!" Seth shouted, holding his side. Summer glared at him. "Oh, right, uh, we're just going to leave now. Bye." Seth said to Marissa and Ryan. He then left the poolhouse with Summer.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hope you guys liked what I did in this chapter. I thought Marissa and Ryan should get back together, considering everything. Next chapter up soon! Stay tuned!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Thirteen 

__

"'Cause I said knowing that I'll sink where I stand,   
Peeling back the pages again,   
All in all this chapter's not bad,   
It's a book I'm glad I read."

It's Something – The Movielife

Ryan sat at the dinner table alone trying to cut through the chicken breast that lay on his plate. He was getting nowhere. He still couldn't use his arm, although the tingling sensation that he kept on feeling a week ago kept on coming back more and more. He never mentioned it to Chelsea, the girl at physiotherapy, or the Cohen's. Sometimes he could feel the cuff around his wrist, other times he couldn't.

Seth walked into the dinning room and looked at Ryan's process. Ryan noticed Seth's sympathetic look and glared at him. "I thought I told you to not watch me?"

Seth threw his hands in the air. "I know, I know." He said, sitting down next to Ryan. "But I bet you you're starving. And all you want right now is to grab the chicken and clench your teeth into it." Seth said, rolling his eyes in the back of this head.

"Seth," Ryan said, getting his attention. "You're starting to scare me." 

"Well, what can I say?" Seth said. "Want some help?" He asked.

"Seth, I can do this." Ryan said, shrugging off Seth. 

Seth sat there silently as he watched Ryan fumble with his knife in his right hand. "Are you sure, man? 'Cause, like, I bet you you're really hungry," Seth looked at his watch. "Maybe by midnight, you might actually cut the breast. Or, you can let me help you and eat it now."

Ryan gave up and dropped his utensils on his plate. "Fine." Ryan said and picked up the fork in his left hand. Seth put the knife in Ryan's right hand and with his hands he helped Ryan cut the breast into small pieces. "Okay, that's enough now, Seth."

"What, you don't want me to feed you?" Seth said, laughing.

"I think I can take it from here."

"All right man, but if you need anything, just holler at me." He said, then left the dinning room.

As soon as Seth left the dinning room Ryan gobbled down his food as fast he could. He was starving. The Cohen's had agreed that they would leave him alone when he ate. He told them that he felt awkward with everyone starring at him. So, Sandy said that he could eat after them, as long as he used his right hand. He was glad they understood him now. 

Kirsten and Sandy walked into the room as Ryan finished off his last bite of his dinner. They both sat at the table across from him. 

"How's the arm?" Sandy asked.

Ryan shrugged, "Fine, Seth had to help me again."

"That's okay." Kirsten replied. "As long as you tried, that's all that counts, Ryan."

Ryan nodded.

"Ryan, I need to ask you something." Sandy said, looking at Ryan.

"What? I didn't do anything, did I?" Ryan asked.

"No, Ryan. After physiotherapy today, I was talking with Chelsea. She told me that by now, usually the patients feel something. If you haven't felt anything yet, Ryan, then that means that the fake nerve didn't work and if so, then you might have to go back into surgery to fix it."

Ryan shook his head at them. "No, guys, I'm fine, really."

"Ryan, you haven't felt anything. It's been a month and we have to start looking into the future for what's best for you and—" Sandy was explaining, when Ryan cut him off.

"No—I've felt it." Ryan said, ashamed at himself for not telling them earlier. He didn't realize how worried they were getting over his arm. 

Kirsten and Sandy both exchanged glances at each other. "What?" Kirsten asked.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sandy questioned.

"Because—Well, because it was nothing." Ryan replied. And it was truth, it was nothing, or at least to him is nothing. Until he felt his arm as a whole, then it would be something. He didn't understand what the big fuss was over. Sure, he could feel his arm sometimes, but he couldn't use it.

"Ryan, it is something." Sandy said. "You were supposed to tell us when you felt something—anything." 

"Sorry. I just—I thought it wouldn't come back. I wanted to tell you guys, I even tried to tell Seth but then I changed my mind."

"How long have you felt it?" Kirsten asked.

"Well I haven't felt it as a whole, just a little tingling sensation. And I've felt a tingle for almost two weeks now. But it's nothing, really. It comes and goes. Sometimes it hurts." Ryan admitted. "So, I guess the artificial nerve worked?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Sandy replied.

Ryan got up from the table and took his plate into the kitchen. He then walked back into the den. "I'm going to go to bed. See you guys in the morning." Kirsten and Sandy both said goodnight to him and continued sitting at the table when Ryan walked off.

"So, I guess that talk turned out better than I thought it would." Sandy commented.

"Yeah, I just wished he told us sooner." Kirsten replied.

Seth then walked into the dinning room. "So, does he know the surgery didn't work?" He asked, sitting down at the table with his parents.

"It did work." Kirsten said.

"Huh, the conversation worked, or the surgery. I'm lost." Seth questioned, throwing his hands up in the air with confusion.

Kirsten and Sandy both laughed at him.

"The surgery worked, Seth." Sandy replied. "He's been feeling a tingling in his arm for almost 2 weeks now and he never told us."

"Why? Why would he not tell us?" Seth questioned.

"He thought it was nothing." Kirsten said, getting up from the table. "Well, I'm going to bed. Care to join me, Sandy?"

Sandy got up from the table. "Of course." He said, following his wife upstairs.

"Okay, guys! Please, don't ever do that again!" Seth yelled up at them from the table. "Sick." He mumbled to himself then made his way upstairs to his bedroom where he phoned Summer to tell her the good news.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Hey." Seth said, as soon as Ryan walked into the kitchen. "Are you almost ready? Summer's picking us up in like five minutes."

Ryan restlessly took a seat next to Seth on a stool at the counter. "I'm already ready." Ryan said, grabbing a box of cereal in front of him and eating from it.

"You look like crap." Seth told Ryan.

"Gee, thanks, Seth." Ryan replied with a grin on his face. "I just didn't sleep very well last night." Seth gave him a concerned look. "I'm fine, Seth."

"So, why didn't you tell me you felt your arm?" He asked.

"Because it didn't really matter." Ryan replied, shoving more cereal into his mouth.

"No way, man. It does matter and I know that you've already talked to my parents about it. So, I'm not going to lecture you about the importance of it and that kind of shit. But that's awesome, man, that you feel your arm."

"Thanks." Ryan said, then smiled. "So, how are you and Summer doing?"

"Great. Things couldn't be better."

"That's cool."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Ryan!" Marissa yelled out and ran through the hallway's trying to catch up to him. She finally caught up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, how are you?"

Ryan turned around. "Oh, hey. I'm fine."

"I heard the news." Marissa said.

"News? What news?" Ryan questioned.

"The news about your arm. Summer told me about it. I wish you could have told me. I'm happy for you." She said, taking her left hand into his right hand.

Ryan eyed her. "So, I guess news travels fast around here." He commented. "You know, I can't feel your hand." 

"I know." Marissa said, then smiled at him. Marissa walked Ryan to his first class and then kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you at lunch."

"Hey, Ryan." Luke said, as soon as he walked into class. "I heard the news."

"Okay, you guys need something better to talk about than me…Cause it's getting too freaky."

Luke laughed at him. "Well, we were all waiting for you to feel something. And we were getting worried that you weren't going to feeling anything. But I'm happy that you are now."

Ryan forced a smile. "Yeah, so does everyone else." He mumbled and took his seat.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After school, Ryan hitched a ride with Seth and Summer. He sat in the back seat of the car, while Seth and Summer bickered at each other.

"Seth, no way! I'm not going with you to some stupid IMAX movie." She then switched the subject over to Ryan. "Don't you have physiotherapy, Ryan?" Summer asked, keeping her eye on the road. Seth glared at her.

"No, it's Tuesday."

"Oh, right." Summer said, she knew he didn't have it today but she definitely didn't want to go to some stupid IMAX movie with Seth. "So, what are your plans for tonight then?"

"IMAX movie, right Ryan?" Seth asked, turning in his seat. 

"Uh, no. You two go. I wouldn't want to intrude on your 'date'." Ryan replied.

"You can always bring Marissa." Seth said. 

Ryan shook his head, "Nah, I've got a lot of homework to catch up on."

Seth turned towards Summer. "Summer, will you _please_ go to the IMAX movie with me tonight?"

"Uh, Cohen!" Summer shrieked. "Fine, I will. What is the movie about anyway?" She asked, pulling up into the Cohen's driveway.

"It's this killer shark movie. I missed it the first time and there's no way I'm missing it the second time. So does that mean you're coming with me?" Seth asked.

Ryan got out of the car and left to the poolhouse.

"Fine…." Summer said and got out of the car. Seth followed her into his home and up to his bedroom.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan laid on his back on the bed in the poolhouse. He had just finished one-handedly typing out his notes from his classes on the laptop. Seth and Summer had already left for the IMAX movie and he was now contemplating on what he was going to do tonight. It was only eight o'clock at night, so he decided to go inside the Cohen's house to watch some Television.

"Hey, Ryan." Sandy said, looking up from the news on the T.V. Ryan nodded his head and sat down next to Sandy on the couch. "Why didn't you go to the movies with Seth?" Sandy questioned.

"He went with Summer and I didn't want to be the third wheel." Ryan admitted, slouching back into the cushions and listening to the news.

"Oh, right. So how are you and Marissa doing?" Sandy asked. 

Ryan looked at Sandy. All he wanted to do was watch T.V, not discuss his issues. "We're fine."

"Well, that's good." Sandy commented. "How's your arm?" _There it was,_ Ryan thought to himself._ Make a little small talk, then go in for the kill. Like he has nothing better to do?_

"It's fine, Sandy." Ryan said and then stood up to leave the living room. He then winced in pain.

Sandy startled by Ryan got up. "Are you okay, Ryan?"

Ryan cradled his right arm in his left. "It's starting to hurt a little." Ryan admitted. "I'm fine, though. It just hurts for a spit second and then it goes away." While he was talking Ryan tried to wiggle his fingers. His pinky finger flinched on him and caught him by surprised. "Shit, did you see that?" Ryan asked.

Sandy looked confused. "What?"

"My pinky finger, it moved, Sandy. It moved." Ryan tried his hardest to do it again but failed. Sandy starred at his arm looking for any movement, but there was none. "It's gone…."

Sandy patted Ryan on the back. "It'll come back, don't worry. Did you need some aspirin for the pain?" Sandy asked.

"No, the pain isn't long, Sandy. Just a split second."

"Right, okay." 

"Well, I've got more homework to do, I'll see you in the morning." Ryan said, walking away from the den and leaving Sandy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Summer wrapped her arm into Seth's arm and burrowed her face into his shoulder.

"Summer, it's just a shark." Seth whispered into her ear.

"A very big, gross, and disgusting shark!" She shot back adding, "I hate sharks! Why did I ever let you bring me here?"

"Because you want to me make me happy. You like it when I'm happy." Seth whispered into her ear, kissing her.

"Oh, Cohen, you're such a boy!" Summer said, kissing him back on the lips.

"COHEN!" Luke shouted out from the seat above him.

Seth and Summer lips unlocked and they both looked up and saw Luke and Anna sitting just above them.

"Hey, Luke, Anna…..What a surprise." Seth said.

Everyone around them shushed them.

"This is a sweet movie, Cohen. Anna was dying to see it." Luke said, shoving popcorn in his mouth. Anna smiled at Summer and took Luke's hand in hers.

Both Summer and Seth then turned around and locked lips again. They made out until the movie ended. Seth was a little upset that he didn't get to see ending of the movie, but it really didn't matter in the end because had exchanged perfect saliva with the perfect girl of his dreams.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth walked over to the poolhouse and prayed for Ryan to still be up. It was only eleven o'clock. He knock softly on the poolhouse door and walked in. Ryan saw already in bed but he wasn't sleeping.

"Hey, how was the IMAX?" Ryan asked, sitting up in his bed.

"It was awesome, dude. Summer and I made out, like, the whole time."

"Glad I didn't go then." Ryan replied.

Seth laughed. "Me too. But guess who we saw there?!" Seth questioned.

Ryan shrugged, "Who?"

"Luke and Anna, together. Don't you think that's weird. I mean they have been going out for like, almost two weeks now. But that's just sick if you think about."

Ryan knew that they had been going out for awhile, ever since he got out of the hospital. Luke and him had talked several times about Anna. "Yeah, it is, but he likes her a lot." Ryan commented. "Why are you jealous of her?" He asked.

"No, why would I be jealous?" Seth shouted out, he was startled at Ryan's comment.

"Chill, Seth."

"Well, whatever, I'm not into her anymore. I'm with Summer, the girl of my dreams. She's like the best girlfriend ever!"

Ryan laughed at Seth. "Well you don't really have a lot to compare her with."

"True, my friend…" Seth started to leave the poolhouse. "I'm off to bed, see you in the morning."

Ryan waved at him and Seth left the poolhouse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan woke up in the morning with someone sitting next to him. He wasn't sure who it was and when he finally cleared his head from his thoughts, he was starring up at Marissa.

"Marissa, what are you doing here?" Ryan asked.

"I thought I'd drive you to school."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Ryan replied and Marissa kissed him on the cheek. Ryan flinched a bit but let her. In a way, he wanted her.

"So, I was thinking maybe after school today we could go down to the pier, hang out and then maybe grab some food."

"I can't."

Marissa cringed at Ryan's words.

"No, it's not that I don't want to, Marissa, I do. But I have physiotherapy, remember?" Ryan questioned. 

"Right, I could go with you if you want?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." Ryan said, getting up and going to the bathroom. When he got out Marissa was still sitting on his bed.

"Well, I guess I'll leave and let you get ready for school. I'll be in the kitchen." Marissa said, leaving the poolhouse.

_Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all,_ Ryan thought to himself. He then got back into the bathroom and took a quick shower. When he got out of the bathroom his right arm was throbbing with pain. He then clenched his right fist and was in shock when it responded and clenched. He then lost total feeling of his arm. He looked at his right hand, still clenched and walked into the kitchen.

Seth looked up from his morning newspaper and coffee. He could tell something was wrong with Ryan. "You okay, Ryan?" Seth asked. He looked at Ryan and then at his arm.

Ryan looked lowered his head and looked at his clenched fist. "My arm…." He started to stay but Marissa cut him off.

"Did you feel it?" She asked.

"I clenched my fist and it worked." He replied. Seth and Marissa starred at his fist, which was still clenched. Ryan didn't want to let it go. He was too afraid it would never come back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	14. Chapter Fourteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Fourteen

"Ryan, you may not believe me, but you've been showing a lot of progress these last few weeks." Chelsea exclaimed, watching him cut through a piece of meat.

"You're right, I don't believe you." Ryan said, smiling at her. He continued cutting his meat and stared back at Marissa, who was at the side of the room trying to look occupied by the magazine that was sitting on her lap. "So, I guess this means I don't have to come three times a week now?" Ryan questioned.

Chelsea laughed at him. "No, not yet, Ryan. But keep it up and, soon enough, we'll only see each other once a week."

Ryan continued cutting the meat.

"So, how often do you feel your arm, Ryan?"

"Almost everyday now."

"For how long?"

"Sometimes it's for a spilt second, but other times I can feel it for a couple of minutes."

"That's good. You should start feeling your arm a lot now. You should be expecting parts of your arm to regain feeling, yet other parts take longer." Chelsea explained. "You should also expect to begin to have movement in your fingers."

Ryan laughed, "Can't wait." 

"Well, all you have to do, Ryan, is continue doing your exercises." Chelsea looked up at the clock. "Well, time's up. You did well today, Ryan."

Ryan thanked Chelsea and then headed out of the room with Marissa. When they got to the car Marissa finally spoke to him. "Were you hitting on Chelsea?"

"What? What are you talking about Marissa? I can't believe you would think that." Ryan replied.

"Sorry, I just…I don't know. I hardly ever see you smile or laugh and when you do smile or laugh, it's with _her._" Marissa said, starting up the engine. She backed out of her parking spot of the hospital and drove Ryan home. 

Marissa pulled up into the Cohen's driveway, waiting for Ryan to ask if she wanted to come inside and hang out with him. But he didn't ask.

Ryan grabbed his school bag from the back seat. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, sure." Marissa replied and then Ryan left her and headed into the house. Marissa drove off in a hurry. She wasn't sure if she should be mad at Ryan or happy for him. He was getting a lot more comfortable with his arm and started to accept it. Heck, he was laughing more. But then again, whenever he was with Marissa, he was different around her. He barely laughed or smiled around her.

Ryan walked into the Cohen's house and walked into the den hoping to find Seth, instead he found Luke. "Uh, what are you doing here, Luke?" Ryan asked. Luke paused the game he was playing and put his controller down on the coffee table.

"Oh, I was just waiting for you to get home. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and do something—anything. I'm so bored. Anna's going to some comic book thing and there was no way I was going to one of those." Luke said.

Ryan laughed, "Seth's going too."

"So does that mean you want to go out tonight?" Luke questioned.

Before Ryan could respond, Sandy and Kirsten walked into the house with groceries.

"Oh, hey Ryan. How was physiotherapy?" Kirsten asked, putting the groceries down on the counter.

Ryan shrugged. "She said I've been progressing. So I guess it went well." 

Kirsten smiled. "Well, that's good Ryan! Oh! Hi, Luke." Kirsten said, waving at him.

"Hey, Mrs. Cohen." Luke replied.

"Uh, Kirsten can I go out with Luke tonight?" Ryan questioned.

Before Kirsten could respond, Sandy came walking into the room. "No, it's a school night."

"But, Seth's going to some comic book thing. Why can't I go out?" Ryan asked. He then realized he was acting childish. "It's okay, never mind, I understand….I'll just stay home tonight. It's no problem." Ryan started to walk off towards the poolhouse with Luke.

Kirsten glanced at Sandy. "Wait, Ryan. We're not being fair. You can go out tonight with Luke and—"

Sandy cut her off. "Be home by ten and you guys behave."

Luke laughed and put him arm around Ryan. "Don't worry Mr. Cohen, he'll be home by a quarter to ten."

* * *

Summer lay on Seth's bed staring at him from the corner of her eye. "I can't believe you're dragging me to some stupid comic book convention, Cohen. Those things are for like total losers with no life. No offense." Summer added.

Seth took off his shirt and threw it to the ground. He rummaged through his dresser drawers trying to find his shirt. "Well, Summer, I may be a loser and I may even be some kind of geek. But, you did promise me you'd come with me. Remember, we made a deal. The deal was that I'd go with you to the mall this weekend, if you came to the comic book releasing with me. A deal's a deal." Seth said. He put his hands on his hips and exclaimed, "I can't find my shirt!"

Summer laughed. "You know what, Cohen. I think one of these days you should really hook up with Ryan to teach you how to work those 'abs' of yours."

Seth searched his stomach for his abs. "Oh, you don't like these?" He questioned.

Summer laughed. He was so adorable. Seth found his shirt, put in on and went over to sit down on the bed next to Summer. "So, what is it exactly that guys don't like about shopping?" Summer asked.

"Do I really have to go into it?" Seth groaned.

Summer laughed at him.

"You know, we could always stay home and like, uh, you know do something else." Seth said, kissed her lips. "Maybe do a little bit of this." Seth moved his hand down her back and kissed the inside of her mouth. "And maybe a little bit of this…." Seth began to kiss her again, but then Summer pulled away from him.

"Cohen, your parents are home. Not to mention Ryan and Luke who, might I add…" Summer said, raising her finger, "don't believe in knocking." 

Seth kissed her again and looked at his watch. "The comics await me. Let's go."

Summer smiled. "You are so weird, Cohen."

"And you like that." Seth added.

* * *

Ryan leaned his head against Luke's truck window and sighed. "So what exactly do you have planned tonight? Are we just going over to your house? Or what?" 

"Well, Holly's got this thing going down at her beach house." Luke replied, keeping his eyes' on the road.

"A party?" Ryan asked and Luke nodded his head. "It's a school night. Why would she have a party?"

"Her parents are out on their, like, fifth honey moon, if you could call it that." Luke said.

Ryan laughed and itched his right hand. It was starting to tingle on him. "Must be great, having all that money and wasting it on some stupid vacation. No offense." Ryan added. Luke shrugged and pulled up into Holly's beach house. "I thought you weren't friends with any of these people anymore." Ryan knew that his 'old' friends didn't accept Luke's father being gay.

Luke shrugged. "You're right; I'm not friends with these people anymore. But, it's free beer and I have nothing better to do tonight." Luke parked on the side of the road and got out of the car. Ryan followed him into the beach house.

"Want anything to drink?" Luke shouted out to Ryan. Black Eyed Peas' song, 'Let's Get Retarded', blared throughout the beach house.

Ryan nodded his head and Luke went off to find the keg. Ryan decided to just sit and wait for him to get back with the beer. He knew he shouldn't be drinking, but he promised himself he would only have one. He sat there on the couch alone, waiting. He didn't know why he had agreed to come to this stupid party. He didn't like any of the kids in Newport. 

* * *

Seth was like a little kid in the candy store. He went from one comic book rack to the other. He had the urge to buy all the comics, but he knew that his parents' would be very disappointed in him if he did. So, instead of buying all of them, he only bought twenty, which would probably only last him a week. Seth gasped and picked up a comic book. 

Summer watched him and laughed. Seth Cohen was adorable, she admitted to herself. She never knew Cohen liked comic books so much. It was freaky, in a way. "Cohen, can we go now? This is so boring and everyone here is really freaky."

Seth laughed at her and picked up another comic book. 

"Oh, hey look….Another freaky person." Summer said. She spotted Anna, who just walked into the store. 

Seth sighed. "Fine, let's go. Ruin my fun…. It's what you do best." Seth said, sarcastically and grabbed Summer's hand. The walked out of the store and passed Anna, hand in hand.

Summer unlocked the car doors to her car and they both got in. "Okay, I'm definitely not going home, Cohen. It's, like, eight o'clock."

Seth agreed and said, "Let's just go to South Coast Plaza and get this stupid shopping thing over with."

Summer smiled, "I like that idea." She started the car and made her way to South Coast Plaza. She pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Seth followed her into the plaza.

"Don't worry, Seth. We're not going to shop for long. I'm just going to grab a few things." Summer said, walking around the plaza. Seth stopped dead in his tracks and Summer turned around. "What?"

"You know what, that's what my mom _always_ tells me." Seth shook his head. "A little means a lot to you people. Last time my mom said that, we were here for hours!" Seth exclaimed.

Summer laughed. "Cohen, the plaza closes soon….We're only going to be here for an hour."

Seth groaned "An hour of boredom followed by my death." He mumbled as he starting to follow Summer. 

Summer stopped in front of a store and shrieked, picking up a pink skirt. She placed in around her waist and moved her hips from side to side. "Oh my God, is this cute or what?" Summer asked Seth. 

Seth rolled his eyes at her and grabbed the skirt out from under her and placed it back on the rack. "The color's not you at all, Summer." Seth said, browsing through the rack. He pulled out a short black skirt and held it out to her. "This is more your style, Summer."

Summer grabbed it from him and laughed. "Yeah, if I'm going to work a street corner. Which I'm not." Summer added. She put it back on the rack and walked into the store. Seth groaned and followed her into the store. Seth couldn't help but laugh at Summer. She was like a little kid in a candy store. She was adorable.

"I'm just going to try these on. It won't take me long." Summer said, pointing to the bundle of clothes in her arm. She had over ten different outfits.

Seth walked over to the changing rooms and sat down in a chair next to her change room. She was taking forever. "Summer, are you dead in there or what?" Seth exclaimed.

Summer stood in her change room staring at the mirror trying to zip up the dress she was trying on. "Cohen, I can't zip this stupid dress up!" She shouted out to him. She opened the door to the change room with one arm across the top of the dress, holding it up so it wouldn't fall to the floor, not that Seth would mind. "Help me?" She asked.

Seth got up from his seat and walked into the change room, closing the door behind him. "Okay, uh…" Seth stumbled on his words. He cleared his throat and spoke again, "Mr. Fix-it is here, what seems to be the problem?" Seth asked in a deep and handsome voice.

Summer laughed and turned around. "Zip it, please!" 

Seth smiled. "You already know I don't have the capability of shutting up. It's like a curse I was born with….I think it comes from my dad, you know, he's a lawyer and all—"Summer turned around and covered his mouth with her hand.

"I meant the dress, Cohen." She said, turning around.

"Oh, uh, I knew that." Seth said, zipping Summer's dress up.

Summer turned around and faced him, straightening her hair with her hands. "How do I look?" She asked.

Seth scratched his head. "You, uh, you look….hot, Summer." Seth said, inching his way towards her. Summer reached out for his hands and wrapped them around her waist. Seth kissed her deeply and pulled back. "You know what, Summer? I don't think I hate shopping anymore." He added, kissing her again and moving his hands down her back. He made his way to the zipper and unzipped it. Summer's dress fell to the floor as they made out.

Out of no where, Summer pushed Seth back. Seth went flying to the floor, hitting his head on the change room door. "Sorry, I, uh, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want to do this Cohen, I do. Just not here…." Summer babbled on.

"No, Summer, here is fine. I'm okay with here!" Seth replied, scratching his head. It was starting to hurt. "This is like a wild dream come true for me!" He added.

Summer laughed and stood there in her bra and underwear. "I guess this is kind of kinky in a way, isn't it?" 

Seth rolled his eyes and stood up. "Do I really have to answer that?" Seth picked up Summer's dress and handed it back to her. She took it from him and threw it back to the ground. She grabbed him and started to kiss him again, exploring the insides of his mouth.

* * *

Ryan got up from the couch and placed his beer on the coffee table. He sighed and walked over to Luke, who was clearly hitting on a way younger girl. _Wasn't Luke dating Anna? _Ryan thought to himself._ A player will always be a player._

"Hey, Luke. Can we go now? It's ten-thirty." Ryan informed him, looking at his watch.

"Who the hell are you?" The younger girl asked. "Does Mommy and Daddy know you're here?" 

"Trish, he's right. I have to go now. I'll, uh—I'll catch up with you later." Luke said, turning his back away from her.

"Loose the party pooper!" She shouted out to him and walked off in search for more beer.

Ryan and Luke left the beach house but were stopped outside. A couple of Luke's 'old' friends were hanging around outside balancing beer bottles on their heads when they noticed Luke and Ryan.

"Oh look…What do we have here?" Brad asked. "A date?" Brad laughed and pointed at them.

Luke and Ryan tried to escape them but were stopped.

"Chino, how's the arm?" Brad asked.

"What's it to you?" Ryan shot back, holding his ground.

Brad went up to him and grabbed his shirt. "You better watch what you say, Chino. I'm sure you don't want your ass kicked again like last time."

Luke cut in between the two of them. "Last time he didn't have me. This time he does. So, that means you better watch your back and get the hell out of our way."

Brad started to laugh. "You hear that guys?" He turned around to the rest of the group. "Maybe the rumors are true…. You and Chino. I should have known."

Both Luke and Ryan had had enough; they went after Brad and the others. Ryan single-handedly beat the crap out of some guy, while Luke beat the crap out of Brad. Holly came running out of the beach house in her bikini screaming at the boys.

"Guys, cut the crap! I don't want to cops over here!" She yelled at them.

Someone grabbed Ryan's right arm and flew him off the guy he was beating. Luckily he couldn't feel his right arm, otherwise it would have hurt badly. Luke stopped beating Brad and helped Ryan up. The two sides separated and Luke and Ryan made their way back to Luke's car.

"Sorry about that." Luke started to say as he got into the truck. "I didn't know it would turn out this way."

Ryan shrugged, "Whatever, I think we got the message through to them." Ryan said, looking back at the beach house. They did a pretty good job for only the two of them. "Let's just hope I don't turn up with any shiners."

Luke laughed and looked at Ryan's face. Besides his lip bleeding, he looked pretty good.

* * *

Seth gave Summer a goodnight kiss and got out of her car. "So, we still up for shopping this Saturday?" Seth asked.

"If by shopping you mean buying clothes, yeah."

Seth groaned, "So, this making out in the change room is only a one-time thing?" He questioned.

Summer laughed and nodded. 

"All right then, I changed my mind!" Seth yelled out to her. "Oh, I just remembered," Seth added. "Ryan wanted me to go somewhere with him Saturday. So I guess I can't go shopping after all." 

"Whatever, Cohen!" Summer shouted, backing out of the driveway. Seth stood there waving her a goodbye. After she left, Seth made his way around the house to the poolhouse.

* * *


	15. Chapter Fifteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX.  If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

**Chapter Fifteen**

****

_"You're trying to find a reason for the way you feel tonight  
your mind is lined with layers of lead  
Have you heard one thing that I've said?"_

_Little Black Backpack – Stoke 9****_

****

Seth walked over to the side of the poolhouse and knocked on the glass door.  No one answered, so he walked in.

"Hey, are you sleeping Ryan?"  Seth questioned.  Ryan was in bed with his back turned to him.

"Not anymore…."  Ryan mumbled and turned around.  "What's up?"

"Whoa, what the hell happened to you?"  Seth asked.  

Ryan raised his left hand to his lips.  It was swollen pretty badly from the punch he had received only an hour ago.  "Oh, this….."  He said, lowering his hand.  "Luke's friends didn't really appreciate our company tonight at Holly's party."

"You went to Holly's party?"  Seth asked.  He was surprised that Ryan would actually go.  Luke and Ryan weren't exactly the most popular guys.  But neither was Seth.

"Yeah…."  Ryan said, sitting up in his bed.  He got a wave of pain throughout his right arm, but ignored it.

"Do Mom and Dad know about what happened?"

Ryan shook his head.  "No, not yet.  I managed to escape them.  Hopefully by the morning, it will go down."  Ryan replied.  Seth just stood their nodding at him.  "So, uh, what's up?  How was the comic book thingy tonight with Summer?"

Seth went over and sat down on the end of Ryan's bed.  "Ryan, it was awesome!  I mean, well, we didn't really go there for long.  I bought a couple of comics, so it' all good.  But, after that, Summer and I, we went shopping."

Ryan stopped him.  "Shopping?  Seth Cohen, shopping?"

Seth raised his hands up in the air.  "It's my favorite sport."  Seth laughed.  "Especially the part where I made out with a certain season in the change room."

Ryan grinned at him.  "You made out with Summer in a change room?"

Seth nodded his head.  "It was like a dream come true.  Like, I know she's my girlfriend now and we make out a lot, and I mean a lot, but like making out in a change room is so much hotter than making out in a bedroom."  Seth exaggerated.  "It all started out with just one zipper, you see, she wanted me to zip up her zipper.  But clearly she wanted more than a little zippering up."  Ryan started to doze off to sleep but Seth continued.  "I made it out alive with only a bruise on my head.  I mean, well, considering 

Thanksgiving and all, where I not only had a bruise on my ass, but on my head as well….Love hurts."  Seth admitting and stood up and started to walk out of the poolhouse.  "Well, I'm going to go now.  Clearly you've lost interest…." 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan woke up with a massive headache.  He slowly made his way over to the bathroom and took a quick shower before heading inside the Cohen's kitchen.  He walked into the kitchen and sat beside Seth at the kitchen counter on a stool.

Seth offered him some cereal.  "Thanks."  Ryan said, grabbing a handful of Mini Oats.  "Sorry I went out on you like a light last night."

Seth shrugged.  "You were tired."  He looked at Ryan's face and examined it.  "It's still there, you know."  Seth said, pointing to his own lip.

"I know….Do you think they will notice?"  Ryan asked.

Sandy came walking into the kitchen with his briefcase.  "Notice what?"  Sandy asked, pouring his coffee.  Ryan looked down at the counter and started to read the morning paper.  Seth stared at his dad.  "What?"  Sandy asked again.

"Nothing," Seth looked at his watch.  "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

Sandy eyed the two boys' suspiciously.  "Okay, I don't know what you two are up to… But yes, I am a little late for work."  Sandy said, and then continued.  "I'll see you boys later." Sandy then left the kitchen.

Ryan got up from the counter.  "Thanks."

Seth patted him on the back.  "No problem.  We should start getting ready.  Summer and Marissa should be here really soon."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"RYAN!"  Marissa yelled, running up behind him.  "Can we talk?"  Marissa asked.  Ryan closed his locker shut and started walking outside to meet up with Luke for lunch.

"What's there to talk about?"  Ryan asked.

Marissa noticed Ryan's lip but didn't say anything.  She didn't want him to get mad at her.  "I want to talk about yesterday."  She said, trying to keep up with him.  "I think we need to talk about….uh, well, us."

Ryan stopped and faced her.  "You were jealous of me, Marissa…You've already made that clear to me.  I don't think there's anything to talk about."

"Sorry, I know, I was jealous.  I just never get to see you happy, Ryan."  Marissa explained.  "Why don't we go do something?  My dad's at the Lighthouse all day today.  We could go back to my apartment and talk."

Ryan scanned the tables looking for Luke.  There was no sign of him.  "School's not out yet, Marissa."

"Just go to the nurses' office and say you're sick.  Come on."  Marissa said, hooking her arm around his arm.  "Please?"  She asked.

Ryan gave in and headed to the nurses' office complaining of a stomach ache.  She wouldn't let him leave without calling a guardian.  Good thing Kirsten wasn't in the office.  He just left her a massage and then left to Marissa's house for the rest of the afternoon.

"So…"  Marissa said, sitting next to Ryan in her living room.  "How are things?"

Ryan shrugged.  "What is it that you really needed to talk about, Marissa?"  He asked.

"Ryan," Marissa began and held his hand in hers.  "I want for us to move on and forget about Oliver."

Ryan stopped her.  "Marissa, I can't forget about what happened with Oliver."  He looked down at his arm.  "It's kind of hard not to."

"I know and I'm sorry.  I'm also sorry for jumping to conclusions about you hitting on Chelsea.  I'm just afraid I'm going to lose you again and I don't want that."  Marissa explained.  "You helped me when I overdosed and you stood by my side the whole time.  I want to be here for you now.  I love you." She said, with tears in her eyes.  Ryan shook his head.  Marissa stopped him before he could say anything.  "It doesn't matter right now, to me, if you love me or not.  I just want you to know that I love you."

Ryan nodded his head and whispered, "Okay."

Marissa leaned in on him and kissed him gently.  Ryan kissed her back and fell on top of her, kissing her more.   He knew he didn't want to lose her.  There were no words he could say to her.  He knew he loved her back, but he was afraid of the commitment that would follow.  He didn't want any mistakes, so he was going to take it slowly.  He kissed her more and felt a sharp pain in his arm.  He pulled away from her and stood up.

"What's the matter?"  Marissa asked.

"It's just my arm.  I'm starting to feel it and it hurts." Ryan replied, buttoning up his shirt that Marissa had just unbuttoned.  

"Oh, are you okay?  Do you need any aspirin?"  Marissa asked.  Before Ryan could reply, Marissa's phone rang.  "Hello?"  Marissa asked.

"Coop, what you are doing home?!"  Summer yelled into her cell phone.

"I'm with Ryan, why?"

"You told me to meet you in the quad after school to drive you home!  And Seth is also looking for Ryan."

"Well, he's here.  I'll drive him home."

"Okay, talk to you later then?"

"Yeah, I'll call you later."

"Okay."

"Okay, bye."  Marissa said, she then put the phone back on its cradle.  "That was Summer, I forgot I asked her to drive me home.  Seth was looking for you too."

"I should get going then."  Ryan said, grabbing his school bag.

"I'll drive you."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Summer and Seth sat on Seth's bed each reading a comic book.  Seth was still amused over the fact that Summer liked reading comic books.  He still had a hitch that Summer only read them because he liked to read them.  But he didn't care, either way they were having fun together.  

Summer put down her comic book.  "Come on, let's go do something else."  

Seth looked up from his comic book.  "Like?"

"Like…."  Summer leaned in and started kissing him.  Seth was getting better at kissing.  When she first kissed him at Caleb Nichols birthday party, it was quite the goober fest.  He was definitely a fast learner when it came to kissing her.  

Seth kissed her back and started moving his hands up and down her body.  Summer did the same and took off Seth's shirt.  She ran her hands up and down his back, kissing the insides of his mouth.  They didn't stop when they heard the knock on the door or the door opening.

"Uh, I'll come back later."  Ryan said, turning his back on the two of them making out.

Summer and Seth separated from each other.  "Wait, what did you want?"  Seth yelled out to him.

"I just needed some advice…I'll come back later."  Ryan shouted out to Seth, closing the door behind him.

Seth threw his shirt back on and kissed Summer again.  "I'll be right back, I promise."  He said, leaving his room.  It wasn't everyday that Ryan asked for advice. Heck, he barely even asked Seth anything.  Whatever was on Ryan's mind was definitely more important than making out with Summer.  Seth was straightening his shirt when he walked into the den.  "What's up?"  Seth asked, sitting down next to his friend.

"It's okay, it can wait.  You can, uh, go back to making out with Summer."

Seth held up his hand, "That can wait, Ryan."  He said.  "So, what's up?  I'm finding it hard to believe you want _my_ advice.  So whatever it is, I will try and help."

"It's Marissa…"  Ryan began to explain.  "I think we got back together."

"Hey, that's good."  Seth said, throwing him a friendly slap on the arm.  Ryan glared at him  "Or not?"  Seth added.  

"I don't know if I'm ready.  Like, I like her a lot and she told me she loved me.  I just couldn't say it back because, well, …. Because I don't know if I can take another commitment.  I do love her, but…."

"But what?"  Seth asked.

"It's like, every time I get to know someone and love them….they turn their back on me.  I don't like commitment.  That's why I never had a girlfriend.  There's too much crap that comes along with it.  It's like that with family too."  Ryan stopped and stared at his feet.  "If it were you and Summer, what would you do?"

Seth hesitated, for once in his lifetime he didn't have anything to say.  He didn't know what to say.  He never considered such a situation with him and Summer.  "Well, uh, I think I would be feeling the same way.  I mean, I'm not in your situation.  So I really don't know how I would be reacting.  But, I do know that you love Marissa.  I can see it and—"

Ryan stopped him.  "Seth, maybe we weren't meant for each other."

"You and Marissa?  You're seventeen, Ryan….Heck I don't know if Summer and I are meant for each other.  But all I know is that I like her…a lot."

Ryan hesitated for a second and then cleared this throat.  "Oliver, he said, we weren't for each other.  Maybe he was right, Seth.  Maybe Marissa and I aren't meant for each other."

"Come on, Ryan.  You're not serious, are you?  Why would you even think that, after everything that has happened?  You were right about Oliver.  Whatever he said to you is a bunch of bullshit."  Seth stopped, remembering Ryan still hasn't spoken on the tape recorder.  "Is this about the tape recorder, Ryan?"  Seth asked.

Ryan didn't answer.  "It doesn't matter, Seth."

"Well, clearly it does if you are thinking this way."  Seth raised his voice at Ryan.

Just then Sandy came walking into the den.  "Hey, is everything alright boys?"  Both Ryan and Seth nodded their heads.  "Seth, I need to talk to Ryan…alone."  Seth got up from the couch, left the den and went to his room where Summer was awaiting him.

Ryan was nervous.  He didn't know why Sandy would want to talk to him alone.  "Did I do anything wrong, Sandy?"  Ryan questioned.

Sandy sat down in the other couch across from Ryan.  "Well, there's something I need to tell you.  But first, Kirsten told me you went home after lunch.  Were you not feeling well?  What happened to your lip" Sandy asked.

"I was just feeling crappy.  You know, I, uh, had a headache."  Sandy nodded in approval.  

"And what about your lip, Ryan?"  Sandy questioned.

Ryan raised his hand to his lip.  "It's nothing, just a fall."  Ryan was getting uncomfortable with Sandy's uneasiness.  He was quiet, too quiet and he kept on nodding his head.  "What's the other thing you have to tell me?"  Ryan asked.  His right arm was beginning to tingle.

"Kirsten and I, we've been holding back on telling you this…"  Sandy stopped, trying to find the right words.  Ryan sat there patiently waiting for Sandy to talk.  "When you hurt your arm, the hospital contacted your mother."

Ryan stopped him.  "Why would they contact her?"

"Well, she has the right to know if you are seriously injured.  And you were at the time.  But now you have been showing us great progress."  Sandy stopped and stared at Ryan, he didn't know how to tell him.

"What?  Is there something else?" Ryan asked.

"She wants to see you, Ryan.  You don't have to if you don't want to."  Sandy said, and then continued.  "She has been calling us for about a week…."  Ryan clenched his right fist and Sandy noticed.  "It's your decision, Ryan.  Whatever you choose, Kirsten and I will understand."

Ryan couldn't deal with this right now.  There were too many decisions to be made in his life right now.  He was already stressing over Marissa right now.  Now all he needed was his mom to come back and screw him over again.  He didn't want to see her.  She was just another headache in his life.  She abandoned him twice. But he also knew that no matter how hard he tried to forget about her, she would always be apart his family.  It was hard to run away from your own family. 

Sandy cut through Ryan's thoughts.  "You don't have to decide right now.  Take your time, Ryan."

Ryan stood up from the couch.  "I've got some homework to do."  He said, walking away from Sandy and leaving the Cohen's house and into the poolhouse. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_"Oliver…What are you doing?"  Ryan asked, noticing the gun in Oliver's hand._

_"Fuck you, Ryan.  Fuck you."  Oliver repeated over and over, shaking his head, trying to get the daemons to escape from it._

_"Put the gun down, man."  Ryan said, trying to keep his voice calm and steady.  "This is not the way things are supposed to be.  Put the gun down and we'll talk things over._

_"Fuck you, Ryan. You don't know Marissa, like I do.  You and Marissa  aren't meant for each other.  It's fate."  Oliver repeated.  "It's fate.  Once I'm gone she'll do the same.  She loves me.  She doesn't love you.  She told me that….You're nothing but leftover's.  Face it Ryan…face reality…."  Oliver pointed the gun at Ryan.  His hands were shaking.  "Do you think she would care if you were to die right now?  I mean, come on, Ryan…nobody cares about you…do you really think the Cohen's do?  You're just some fucked up charity case….and Marissa told me about your family….Now that's another story, isn't it Ryan?  Your nothing but leftover's" Oliver repeated.  "Leftover shit…that people pity…."_

_"Fuck you, Oliver…."  Ryan said, backing away towards the door._

_Oliver started to shake violently and shot at Ryan.  He missed him and shot him again, hoping he was dead.  Ryan fell to the floor and Oliver couldn't see him anymore.  Everything went blurry.  He put the gun up to his head and said, "Marissa will be with me….She loves me…its fate…We're fate…."  And then he shot himself._

"Dude, Ryan."  Seth shouted out to Ryan, shaking him.  "We're going to be late for school if you don't get your ass out of bed."

Ryan tore at his sheets and woke up.  Seth was sitting on the end of his bed staring at him.  "Uh, just give me a few minutes, Seth.  I'll be ready soon."

Seth nodded his head and gave Ryan a serious look.  "I couldn't help but over hear, Ryan."  Seth started to say, but Ryan stopped him.

"Hear what?"  Ryan asked, sitting up in his bed.  He cradled his right arm.  He was starting to feel it more as they days went on.

"You were saying something about fate…What fate, Ryan?"  Seth asked.

Ryan stood up and started walking towards the bathroom.  "Nothing, it was just a dream."  Ryan said, closing the bathroom door behind him.  Seth sighed and left the pool house.

Ryan looked at himself in the mirror and reflected on the nightmare.  _"Fate…"  _He repeated to himself over and over.  He then splashed water on his face and heard Sandy voice.

"Ryan, you're going to be late."

Ryan opened the door to Sandy's face.  _Nothing but leftover's_, Ryan thought to himself.  "I think I want to see my mom."  Ryan told Sandy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, hope you guys liked the Chapter.  It took awhile to write it…stay tuned for the next chapter.  Should be up soon!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Sixteen

__

"Open up my eyes,  
Flooded with daylight.  
Another sleepless night turns color black and white….

Hands into a fist,  
Static in my head.  
Now I'm sitting face to face with loneliness…."

Three Simple Words – Finch

Kirsten paced through her bedroom with her arms crossed, listening to Sandy. He kept on telling her that everything was going to be all right. But how could it be all right? She thought to herself. Ryan wanted to see his mother; the same mother that had abandoned her son seven months ago.

"Don't worry everything is going to be okay." Sandy reassured her again. "I've already spoken to Ryan and he agreed that he would see his mother here, with us around. We'll be having supper with her and Ryan."

Kirsten stopped pacing. "Last time she had supper with us, Ryan stormed off. I don't like to see him hurt like that, Sandy." Kirsten said, her voice was cold with anger. 

"He asked to see her, Kirsten. I can't tell him he's not allowed to. As much I want to tell him that, I can't." Sandy replied, wrapping his hands around Kirsten's waist. He gave her a kiss on the neck and added her some more reassurance, "Ryan's going to be cooking too. So you don't have to worry about it."

Kirsten turned around and shot him a look. "When do I ever have to worry about cooking? You never let me cook!"

Sandy laughed. "I have no problem with that."

Kirsten playfully slapping his head and said, "You're not the greatest cook either, you know."

Sandy nodded. "But, I'm a lot better than you are." Sandy said, taking her hand in his and kissing it. "Come on, Dawn's going to be here soon. We should get down there."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So…" Seth said, peeling the potatoes. 

Ryan turned around from the stove and wiped his hands with a cloth. "So?"

"Are you nervous? I mean, uh, you don't have to be nervous. But you haven't seen your mom in what—seven months?"

Ryan nodded his head. "It's time I see her."

"Any particular reason?" Seth asked.

Ryan didn't respond. 

"Well, whatever man. You don't need a reason to see your mom. I mean, she's family, right?" Seth questioned.

Ryan went up to Seth and punched him in the arm. "You're my family, Seth. My Mom….she's just my Mom."

"Okay, well usually Mom's—"

Ryan stopped him. "Seth…Shut up." Ryan laughed and headed to the poolhouse to get changed.

Ryan changed into his usual button down black T-shirt over his wife beater and put on a fresh pair of jeans that Rosa had cleaned. He still didn't like the idea that he had someone else wash his clothes for him. He felt bad for her, so he tried as much as possible to clean up after himself. She barely ever cleaned the poolhouse because he always kept it clean. He prayed that his arm would bring him some luck so he didn't have to get any help from the Cohen's. Ryan didn't want his mom to feel sorry, not that she would though. Ryan was about to leave the poolhouse when the phone rang. He picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." 

"Oh, hey Marissa…How are you?" Ryan asked, playing with the cuff on his right wrist. He could almost feel it all the way around his wrist.

"I'm good, what about you? When is your mom coming?" Marissa asked. She knew that Ryan had been looking forward to seeing his mom again. 

"She's coming soon."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah, I, uh—I better go. She should be here pretty soon." 

"Yeah, okay. Well, I love you."

Ryan hesitated. "I—I know, bye." He stumbled on his words and hang up the phone. _Why was it so hard for him to hear Marissa say 'I love you.'? He knew she loved him, but did he love her? Of course he did, _he thought to himself. There was a knock on the door interrupting his thoughts of Marissa. Seth walked into the poolhouse.

"Hey, Ryan. Your mom is here and she's alone with Mom and Dad, which probably isn't the best situation right now…. You know my dad…like's to talk."

"Yeah, kind of reminds me of someone else I know." Ryan shot back, leaving the poolhouse with Seth.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dawn sat down at the table next to Ryan. All had gone well so far. Ryan made sure he made the easiest to eat with his right hand. He made mashed potatoes, shredded chicken and sunshine carrots.

"So Dawn, where are you living these days?" Kirsten asked, placing her napkin on top of her plate.

"I'm still at a friends place right now." Dawn replied, putting her hand on Ryan's shoulder. "You're a great cook, Ryan. It was delicious."

Ryan smiled at her and continued eating his mashed potatoes. He was the only one still eating. Everyone was done and talking, except for Seth who sat there in a daze. Ryan wondered what was wrong with Seth; he was usually the one who was doing all the talking. Then again, Dawn was here and he probably didn't want to start asking stupid questions. 

"Do you still have that job at the laundry mat?" Sandy asked.

Dawn shook her head. "I'm in between jobs." Both Sandy and Kirsten nodded there heads.

Ryan wasn't finished his dinner but he had had enough of trying to force himself to eat it with his right hand. He threw his napkin on his plate. "Which friend's place are you staying at this time?" Ryan asked. He was a little curious. Last time she said a friend's place to him, it turned out being an old boyfriend in which Ryan didn't approve of.

"Oh, you don't know him, Ry."

Ryan's eyes sparked up in sudden interest. "Him? As in a boyfriend or just a friend?" Ryan questioned. Both Sandy and Kirsten stood up and took their plates to the kitchen. Seth sat there for a few seconds, then decided to give Ryan and his Mom some 'alone' time. 

"Yeah, John, he's my boyfriend."

"How long?"

"Almost eight months now." Dawn replied.

That was pretty good for his Mom, Ryan thought to himself. She never had a steady relationship with anyone, besides his dad, but he was in jail now. Ryan suddenly realized that eight months ago he was still in Chino, not living with the Cohen's. "I thought you were with A.J. eight months ago." Ryan commented. 

Dawn cleared her throat. "Yeah—I know, Ry. But I wasn't living with him, I was living with A.J."

"So you cheated on A.J. and you lied to me and Trey?" Ryan asked.

"No, I didn't do such a thing, Ry. We weren't really together, just friends then." Dawn stopped and took Ryan's right hand into hers. "He treats me well, Ryan. He's not like A.J. and the others. He's got a kid of his own too. She's a year younger than you are. I talk about you all the time to her and she wants to meet you someday, Ry."

Ryan let go of his Mom's hand and walked off into the kitchen with his plate. Was his mom really trying to get him to go back to Chino with her? Ryan didn't know. He placed his dishes in the sink and walked passed Sandy, Kirsten and Seth to the poolhouse.

Dawn grabbed her plate and walked into the kitchen. "I think I should maybe go." Dawn said.

Both Kirsten and Sandy didn't say anything.

Seth couldn't believe that his mom would just leave him again like that. How could she be a mother? Seth finally spoke his mind, or at least some of it. "Why don't you go talk to him, God?" Seth said, throwing his hands up in the air. "He's your son…" Seth exclaimed walking off upstairs to his room.

Dawn was shocked by Seth's little outburst.

"Dawn, I'm sorry…That's not like Seth to do such a thing." Kirsten explained. "Sorry."

"No, he's right. I should go talk to him." Dawn said, leaving the kitchen. She walked over to the poolhouse and knocked on the glass door. Ryan yelled for her to come in.

Ryan was sitting down on his bed staring at her.

"Look, Ry…." Dawn began to say but Ryan cut her off.

"It's okay, Mom." Ryan said.

"No, Ry….It's not. I should have been there for you when…" Dawn stopped and pointed at his arm. "I should have been there for you when that happened"

"No, I'm the one that never called to tell you, Mom." Ryan stopped and stood up. "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?" Dawn asked. She knew what he was talking about, but wanted to make sure she was right.

"Regret leaving me here to live with the Cohen's."

"Ry…I did what I thought was the best for you. Leaving you was probably the best thing for you." Dawn explained, walking up to him. "Are you having second thoughts with living here, Ry?" She asked, face to face with him.

Ryan hesitated. He loved living with the Cohen's. He couldn't imagine not living with them. But then again, he did miss his mom and his friends in Chino. He was just starting to get used to Newport when Oliver came along and screwed up everything. He was now only _leftover's_.

"Ryan?" Dawn said, interrupting his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Ryan replied, stepping away from his mom. "I just don't understand how you could just leave me here."

"Ryan, I love you and I would never do anything that would hurt you."

"You left me, Mom. Not once, but twice. And—and now…" Ryan hesitated. "You're leaving me again."

"Oh, Ry…No, I'm not leaving you. I'll always be your Mom." Dawn exclaimed. She threw her arms out to him and embraced him. Ryan stood there with his hands at his side. "I'm sorry, Ry." She whispered into his ear. She then let go of him and said, "I know Kirsten and Sandy are taking care of you, Ry. You don't know how much that means to me. Right now, I know I'm not the greatest mother. But, if you want to come to Chino, anytime Ry, you can. Maybe you can meet John and his daughter Jessica."

Ryan shrugged. "I—I don't know…."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Do you think they are okay in there?" Kirsten asked, looking out of the window towards the poolhouse where she saw Dawn and Ryan talking.

Sandy went up behind Kirsten and put his hands around her waist. "Kirsten, I'm sure they are fine." Kirsten turned around from the window and kissed Sandy.

"It just doesn't feel right." Kirsten commented.

"What doesn't feel right?" Sandy asked.

"Dawn being here….I mean, well, she gave me the impression last time that she would never see Ryan again. I'm just afraid for him. I don't want Dawn to upset him. He's been through a lot, Sandy."

Sandy kissed Kirsten again. "Don't worry." He reassured her.

Seth walked into the kitchen and gagged. "Separate seats, you guys. Come on, there's  
no sex in the champagne room.

Kirsten and Sandy both laughed at him.

"I hope you came down to apologize to Dawn." Sandy said, letting go of Kirsten.

Seth shrugged. "Well, I don't think I should." He stopped talking as soon as Dawn walked into the kitchen. "Sorry." Seth said to Dawn. He knew he shouldn't have apologized but he knew that he would never hear the end of it form his parents.

"Don't worry, kid. You were right." Dawn replied. She then thanked Sandy and Kirsten. "Thanks for dinner you guys. I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to go now."

"Oh? Did you need a drive anywhere?" Sandy asked.

Dawn shook her head. "No, its okay, I've got a cab waiting."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After Dawn left, Seth made his way over to the poolhouse. He knew Ryan was in dire need of some Seth/Ryan time. Seth didn't bother knocking on the glass door, instead he walked right in. Ryan was sitting down on his bed reading his history text book. He looked up as soon as Seth walked in.

"Hey." Ryan mumbled, returning to his book.

Seth sat down on the end of Ryan's bed. "So, uh, how did it go?" Seth asked. He wanted to hear everything. 

"Fine." Ryan replied.

Seth groaned. "Come on dude, don't bottle this kind of crap up anymore….you know how bad it explodes."

Ryan closed his history text book and hesitated before speaking. "She asked me to come and visit her."

"In Chino?" Seth asked.

"Where else would I visit her?" Ryan replied, dryly. "She wants me to meet her new boyfriend and his daughter."

"And…Are you?" 

Ryan shrugged. "I'm thinking about it. But I didn't tell her that. She gave me her number and I said I'd call her later."

"Well, uh, that's cool….I guess." Seth stopped and stood up. "You're not like…leaving us, are you?"

Ryan took awhile to respond. "Seth, she's my mom. And—I don't know…" Ryan hesitated. "You just don't understand…"

"Of course I don't, Ryan. Explain it to me. Why would you even think about leaving us?" Seth exclaimed. He didn't want Ryan to leave. He was the only cool person in Newport and the only true friend he has ever had.

"Look, Seth…I'm probably not going to leave."

"Okay, but why would you even consider it?" Seth asked.

Ryan raised his right arm slightly at Seth. "If you haven't notice, this past month hasn't really been the greatest. No one believed me about Oliver—heck your parents sent me to some shrink. They thought I was crazy."

Seth cut him off. "We were wrong, Ryan. And Mom and Dad didn't think you were crazy."

"Whatever, Seth. The point is that, life for me here _is_ crazy. I've got all these issues that no one understands. Hell, I can't even say 'I love you' to Marissa. I know I do, Seth. I just can't say it." Ryan stopped and stared at his best friend, he knew Seth was hurt. "Life in Chino is different—a lot different from Newport."

"Well, I guess you've made up your mind then." Seth said, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Seth—Wait!" Ryan yelled out to him, but Seth left and went into the house. "Shit!" Ryan yelled out loud and threw his history text book at the wall.

How could anyone understand the way he was feeling? No one did and that was the point. He wasn't even sure himself how he felt. But he knew he needed to visit Chino. He needed to get out of Newport. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth made his way up to his bedroom and flopped down on his bed and sighed. How could Ryan even consider leaving? And after all they've been through? He knew he needed to do something. But he didn't know what yet. Seth got up from his bed and picked up the phone. He needed to get the hell out of the house. It was Saturday and he hoped that Summer was home. He dialed her number.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Summer."

"Oh, hey Cohen. What's up?"

"Uh, nothing…absolutely nothing. Want to go shopping?" Seth asked.

Summer laughed. "The stores are closed Seth." She said, and then listened to Seth as he groaned on the other end of the line. "But, hey, if you want….you can come over to my house and we can go 'shopping' here?"

Seth cleared his throat. "What time would you like Mr. Fix-it there?"

Summer laughed. "Anytime…."

"I'll be right there!" Seth yelled into the phone than hung up.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, short chapter…I know. And this story is taking a big turn. I'm just trying to keep it going….Hope you like it!

Many thanks goes out to my twin, Vicki, for editing (ahaha) I never give her credit and she asked me to write her in. 

****


	17. Chapter Seventeen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Seventeen

__

"As I recall with my stomach turning  
I was hiding away from myself, away from you  
Like nothing, though something was terribly wrong  
And I admit that I was only waiting for the right time  
Night time, the right moment for you to look away  
Though you never did, I pretended for a while  
So I could walk where I don't belong"

Pitiful – Blindside

After Seth left the poolhouse, Ryan paced the room. He was upset and he didn't know what to think. He needed to get out of Newport, or at least out of the Cohen's house for awhile. He decided to call the number his mom gave him. He dialed the number with his left hand nervously and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" 

It wasn't his mother. It was a younger girl's voice. "Uh, is Dawn Atwood there?" Ryan asked.

"She's out. Can I take a message for her?" The girl asked.

"Well…" Ryan hesitated. "Just tell her that Ryan called." Ryan replied and was about to hang up the phone when he heard the girl speak to him.

"Wait…isn't she there right now?" The girl asked.

Ryan looked at his watch. Of course his mom wasn't home, it had only been a half hour since she left. "Uh, she just left awhile ago."

"Oh, well I'll tell her you called then, okay?"

Ryan hesitated, "Wait—Uh, does she live there with you?"

"Yeah, I'm Jess. She lives with me and my dad." Jessica replied.

"Uh, would you by any chance let me have your address?" Ryan asked. Jessica didn't answer. "I might come over later…If that's okay?" Ryan asked.

"I really don't know….But I guess its okay. It's 847 West Lane Crescent, near the old—"

Ryan cut her off. "…Near the old run down movie theatre, right?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Thanks." Ryan said, and then hung up the phone. 

It was nearing ten o'clock at night and Ryan knew that the Cohen's would be settling in to bed. He didn't want to wake them, so he decided to leave a note by his bedside. He knew they would understand. Or at least he hoped that they would understand.

Ryan pulled out his wallet and checked his money situation. He had sixty dollars on him, which was plenty enough to get him a cab to Chino. Ryan called a cab, packed a light bag of clothes and then waited outside at the end of the Cohen's laneway. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Summer and Seth were snuggled up together in Summer's bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was close to eleven o'clock and Seth knew that he should be heading home soon. He sat up in the bed and Summer pulled him back down, kissing him.

"Where do you think you're going, Cohen?" Summer asked.

"Uh, home…Believe me I don't want to go…But I think I should, before my parents go crazy."

Summer groaned. "Just tell them you're having a sleepover at a friend place."

Seth snorted at her comment. "Summer, a sleepover? At a friend's place?" Seth asked, then stuck up a finger and said, "One, in all the seventeen years of my life, I've never had a sleepover. Two," He stuck up another finger. "Guy's don't have sleepovers."

Summer laughed at him and rubbed her hand up and down his chest. "Are you sure you don't want to have a sleepover?" Seth shook his head. "You're not sure?" Seth nodded his head in agreement.

They wrestled around in bed for awhile, until Summer fell asleep on Seth. Seth looked up at the clock on Summer's night table. It was only eleven-thirty. Minutes later he drifted off to sleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"This is it?" The cab driver asked, as he pulled up the laneway of 847 West Lane Crescent.

Ryan nodded his head and gave the cab driver his money. He got out of the car and examined the place. Not too bad, Ryan thought to himself. It was a small house, but at least it wasn't a dump like his old house in Chino. Ryan walked up to the front door and knocked. A tall, buff man came to the door and opened it.

"Yes?" The man asked. Ryan stood there, not sure what to say. Should he not say anything and run for it and forget about seeing his mom? Or should he say he's Ryan. The guy was pretty mean looking and not a visitor Ryan would want around, for sure. "Is there anything I can help you with?" The man asked, his voice was a little edgy.

"I, uh—I'm Ryan…Is my mom here?" Ryan asked.

The man opened the door wider and took out his hand. "I'm John, nice to meet you, Ryan. Come on in." Ryan accepted John's hand shake and followed him inside. The place was a lot cleaner than his old place. "Here, have a seat, I'll go get Dawn." John said, motioning to the empty couch. Ryan took a seat and waited. Seconds later his mom appeared.

"Hey, Ry…What are you doing here?" Dawn asked.

Ryan stood up. "You said I could visit you."

Dawn embraced him into a hug. "I invited you over to visit, yes, but not at midnight." Dawn commented. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I just wanted to see where you lived, that's all." Ryan said, looking around the place.

The whole room went silent.

John finally spoke up, "Look, you can stay here tonight if you want." John looked over at Dawn. Ryan wasn't sure if John was being friendly towards him or just being plain annoyed at him. "I'll go get some sheets for the couch." He said, leaving the two of them alone.

Ryan sat back down on the couch. "It's nice, Mom. John seems nice too." He added.

Dawn nodded her head. "He is. So, do the Cohen's know you came to visit?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Ryan lied. "They thought it was a good idea."

Dawn went up to him and brushed his hair away from his face. "Are you sure, you're okay? You're acting a little strange, Ry."

Ryan shrugged. "I just wanted to see where you live, Mom." He then hesitated. "I don't really want to talk about it right now, okay?"

Before Dawn could say anything, John came back with sheets and a blanket. "Here, make yourself comfortable." Ryan accepted the sheets and blanket and thanked him. 

"'Night, kid." Dawn said, kissing him on the forehead." She then retreated back to her bedroom with John following her.

Ryan made up the couch as best as he could, only using his left hand. His right hand was not working for him right now. He could hardly feel it. He lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling."What have I gotten myself into?" Ryan mumbled to himself. Slowly but surely, he drifted off to sleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"SETH?" Sandy yelled up from the bottom of the staircase. "It's time for you to wake up!" He retreated back to the kitchen where Kirsten was reading the Sunday newspaper. "Those two kids sure like to sleep on Sundays." Sandy commented, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Kirsten nodded her head and continued reading.

"So, I guess the way things went last night, Ryan won't be seeing Dawn again."

Kirsten put down her paper and stared at Sandy. "Why would you think that?" She asked.

"Well, the way she left in a hurry last night. Something wrong was said." Sandy replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "Maybe I should go talk to him."

Kirsten shook her head. "Just let him sleep."

Before Sandy could protest, he heard the front door slam shut and Seth came strolling into the kitchen. "Morning." Seth said, grabbing a muffin off of the kitchen counter.

"Uh, morning?" Kirsten replied. "Where have you been? We thought you were sleeping upstairs."

"Oh, I, uh, well you see…" Seth stopped for a moment and stared at his parents. "I woke up really early and decided to watch the sun rise with Summer."

"Oh, really?" Sandy asked. 

Seth nodded his head. "Dad, it was awesome. You two should really wake up early next time and watch it." He patted both his parents on the back. "Is Ryan up?" Seth asked, walking over to the patio door and looking out into the poolhouse.

"He's still sleeping." Kirsten replied.

"Well then, I will go wake him." Seth said strolling out of the kitchen. He knocked on the poolhouse glass door, and then walked in. Ryan wasn't there. He went over to the bathroom but he wasn't there ether. He noticed a note on Ryan's bed and picked it up. He could hardly read it, since Ryan was right handed, not left handed. The writing looked like a five year olds writing. Seth looked at it and read it out loud. "Hey, I…had?" Seth tried to read it. "Yeah, I had to go to my mom's place in Chino." He stopped and tried to make out the next word. "Don't worry, I will be back by tomorrow….I just had to get out of here. I will talk later. Ryan." 

After reading the letter, Seth sat down on Ryan's bed. What had he done? Seth thought to himself. Seth knew he was right last night. He knew Ryan didn't want to live here anymore. Was it something he had done or said? Seth thought to himself. He took the letter and made his way back into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Seth?" Kirsten asked, noticing the look of shock on Seth's face.

"Ryan—He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Sandy demanded, standing up and facing Seth. Seth handed Sandy the note he had just read. Sandy took it and read it. "I'm sure there's a perfect explanation for all of this." Sandy replied, handing the note to Kirsten so she could read it. 

"But, Dad, last night he pretty much told me that he wanted to go back to Chino." Seth commented. Last night was becoming a blur to him already. He was tired when he went to go talk to him and wasn't sure how he acted.

"Why would he?" Kirsten asked.

Seth threw his hands up in the air. "He said he had issues that he needed to sort out and that life in Chino is different than life in Newport." Seth stopped. "I didn't know he was going to run out last night."

Sandy shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine, guys. He wrote down that he would be home later today. Don't jump to any conclusions."

"But—." Seth started to protest.

"Seth, we just have to wait and see, okay?" Sandy said.

Seth nodded his head and walked off to his bedroom.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan woke up to the sound of laughter. He wasn't sure who it was who was laughing so hard. He opened his eyes and look off out into the kitchen where he saw his mom and a girl about his age talking and laughing. He got up from the couch, in the same clothes he had worn yesterday, and walked over to the kitchen.

"Ry, you're up." Dawn said. "This is Jessica, John's daughter." She said, motioning to the girl sitting across from her. Jessica smiled at him.

"Hey." Ryan said, taking out his hand. They both shook hands and Ryan took a seat at the table. 

"So, did you sleep well?" Dawn asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Yeah." He lied. He hardly slept at all until this morning. The couch was not exactly like the bed he had at the Cohen's.

Jessica laughed, "Yeah, right. That couch is like sleeping on the floor."

Ryan smiled at her. "A bit." He admitted. He eyed the girl. She was pretty good looking, but a little young for Ryan. She had short black hair with blue eyes and wore an army green tank top with a pair of baggy pants.

"So, Ry, I just found out that I have a job interview later this morning." Dawn said, standing up. "I have to leave soon."

"Oh, well, I guess I should go then." Ryan said.

"I'm sorry, kid. I know you wanted to talk to me and—."

Ryan cut her off. "No, it's okay. I should leave anyways." He stood up. "It was nice meeting you, Jessica."

"Jess." She corrected.

"Nice meeting you, Jess." Ryan said, and then headed back into the living room to get his bag.

Dawn went up him, "Ry, maybe we can see each other again?" She asked.

Ryan shook his head. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay, well, do you need a drive?" She asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No."

Jess walked into the room and said, "Why don't you stay awhile, Ryan?"

Ryan looked at his mom then back at Jess. He knew he didn't want to go back to the Cohen's just yet, because he knew that when he got back he would have to explain why he left, and then he would have to talk with Marissa. He just didn't need that right now. "Sure." He replied.

"Cool, I was going to go over to a friends place. But I can change that." Jess said in excitement. She really liked this Ryan guy. Not only was he hot, but very friendly.

"No, don't cancel."

Dawn left the living room to go change for her interview.

"Well, do you want to come with me then? Maybe you know her, she's a year older than me. Her name is Chantal Keeler."

"I know a Brandon Keeler." Ryan replied.

"Sweet, Bran's her twin brother. That works out good then."

Ryan laughed. The last time he saw Brandon, they were thirteen and at the police station. They were caught at night trying to get into a bar. The officers just scared the shit out of them and then let them go. "Sure, I guess, I'll go." Ryan replied.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Summer was rummaging through Seth's dresser drawers. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she was bored and he was taking way too long in the bathroom. Finally, Seth came out of the bathroom.

"Um, Summer what are you doing?" Seth asked.

"Trying to find something good. Do you have anything in here that I don't know about? Like some woman clothes?" Summer laughed.

"Woman clothes? Wrong room, Summer. You'll find those in the poolhouse." Seth told her, sarcastically. He went up to her and started to make out. They made their way over to Seth's bed. Seth started to remove his shirt, when there was a knock on the door.

Seth groaned. "Why is it every time we make out, there's a knock on the door!" Summer laughed at him and stood up. "Come in!" Seth yelled out.

Sandy came in the room. "Has Ryan called yet?" He asked.

"No, not yet…" Seth mumbled and looked at his watch. "It's only four, I'm sure he'll call, or come home soon. It is a school night and you know how much Ryan cherishes his school work." Seth replied, dryly.

Sandy shook his head. "Ok, but if he calls you on your cell, tell me."

Seth nodded his head. "Will do…Now can we have some privacy?"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, were you good friends with Brandon?" Jess asked, as they walked over to his and Chantal's house.

Ryan shrugged. "We were when we were kids. We stopped talking after I started hanging around with Trey's friends."

"Trey's your brother, right? And he's in jail?" Jess asked.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah."

"So, do you like living in Newport? I've never been there." 

"It's okay…different. It's a lot different from Chino. Have you always lived in Chino?" Ryan asked.

Jess shook her head. "No, I used to live with my mom up north. We lived in Toronto."

"Toronto, as in Canada?" Ryan asked.

Jess laughed at him. "Yeah, it's a lot different here…I guess we're kind of in the same situation." She added.

"How's that?"

"Well, we both live in places that are different from our home life…and we both hate it." She said, and then smiled at him. "I take it the reason why you're here is because you hate it there in Newport."

"Well, I don't hate it. The people that I live with, the Cohen's, are great." Ryan admitted. "It's just that everyone there has got something, and I don't." Ryan stopped talking and stared at his right arm, which he hasn't felt all day today. "It's been a little crazy there…I just needed to escape from it all, that's all."

"Your mom told us about what happened with your arm and about that kid that shot himself."

"Yeah…that's probably the main reason why I'm here." Ryan replied. He could see Brandon's house in sight. The last time he was there was 2 years ago. 

"Well, whatever Ryan. It doesn't matter; you're here now, in Chino, and we're going to have some fun."

Ryan laughed at her and imagined what the Cohen's were doing right now. They were probably worried sick over him. He knew he should call them soon, but he didn't want to spoil any fun he was about to have.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	18. Chapter Eighteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Eighteen 

"So many people live in make believe,  
They keep a lot a going up their sleeves.  
But my love baby is no kind that folds.  
Come on Baby, let the good times roll."

Come On – Jimi Hendrix

****

"Ryan?" The tall lengthy boy asked. "Is that you, man?"

Ryan took out his left hand and smiled. "Hey, Brandon…" Brandon took his hand and shook it.

"Shit, wow…You look good." Brandon exclaimed. "What are you doing here with Jess?"

Jess cut in. "Glad you acknowledged me…Now where's Chantal?"

"She's upstairs in her room." Brandon said. Jess flew right by him and ran up stairs.

"Come on in, Ryan." Brandon said, walking into his house. Ryan followed him. "So, what are you doing here with Jess?" He asked again.

"My mom is going out with her dad." Ryan replied, sitting down on the couch next to Brandon. He looked a lot different than he did two years ago. He definitely grew taller and had a lot more muscles. Ryan remembered Brandon as the kid who always got picked on for being too small. Not anymore, Ryan thought to himself.

"Shit, that's—that's cool." Brandon said. "So, are you and Trey living with them now or what?"

Ryan shook his head. "Trey's in jail and I'm living at my attorney's place." Brandon stared at him in a look of confusion. "Trey and I stole a car and my attorney, Sandy, took me into his place 'cause my mom kicked me out….It's all long story." Ryan added.

Brandon shook his head. "Shit, I can't believe Trey's in jail."

Ryan laughed at him. "You don't?" He asked.

Brandon shrugged. "Well, okay, maybe I can believe. He was always getting into trouble." He changed the subject and asked, "What's with your arm, it kind of looks funny."

Ryan looked down at his right arm. It did kind of look funny. It was a lot paler than it had ever been seen his surgery. He still couldn't feel it at all day today. "I have nerve damage," Ryan explained. He told Brandon all about Oliver and how he got shot. He also told him about how nobody believed him when he tried to tell everyone that Oliver was crazy.

"So what are you doing back here in Chino?" Brandon questioned. "Got bored of the little rich kids?"

Ryan laughed at Brandon. "No, man. I just came to see my mom….And I'm kind of running away from a few situations back 'home'." Ryan admitted.

"Huh," Brandon replied, he knew not to question any further. He knew Ryan too well. "You want something to drink?" He asked. "We have beer or –"

"I'll have a beer." Ryan cut it.

Brandon went into the kitchen and grabbed two beers. He came back and handed one to Ryan. Ryan accepted it and was able to open it, not like last time when he was at Luke's and it had spilled everywhere. "So, where are your folks?" Ryan asked.

"My mom's staying at a friends place and I don't know where my dad is." Brandon replied. Brandon's parents were much like Ryan's parents. That's one of the main reasons why they got along. They understood each other.

Ryan looked at the clock on the VCR and got up. "Can I use your phone? I think I should call 'home'." Brand nodded, while drinking his beer and pointed over to the kitchen.

Ryan picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed the Cohen's number.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Seth." Ryan said.

"Oh, hey, Ryan. Mom and Dad are going a little crazy over here….Okay, maybe just Dad." Seth exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Chino, at a friends place."

"I thought you were with your Mom." Seth commented.

"I was there. I slept over at her place and now Jess and I are at one of my old friend's place."

"Who's Jess?" Seth questioned.

"My mom's boyfriend's kid." Ryan replied. "Look, tell your Mom and Dad I'll be home soon, okay?"

"Okay, uh, Ryan?" Seth asked.

"What?" 

"Are you pissed at me?"

"No, Seth. I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind. I've got to go, bye." Ryan replied, and then hung up the phone. Ryan walked back into the living room where Brandon was joined by Chantal and Jess. "I've got to run." Ryan said, grabbing his bag.

"How you getting home?" Brandon asked. 

Ryan shrugged. "I'll take a bus."

"No way, man. My dad left his car out back, we'll go on a little road trip and drive you there." Brandon replied. Both girls nodded their head in agreement.

Ryan shrugged again. "Sure, I guess."

Ryan, Brandon, Jess and Chantal piled into Brandon's dad old cavalier. Ryan was sitting in the front seat with Brandon, who was driving and the two girls were in the back.

Chantal pulled out a bag of weed. "Hey, bro. Do you mind?" She asked, waving the bag in the air, from the back seat.

"As long as I get a piece of it, I don't care." Brandon replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "You still smoke?" He asked to Ryan.

Ryan shook his head. "No, I quit that shit."

"I bet it will help you though." Jess commented from the back of the seat. Chantal rolled up a joint and lit it. She took a drag of it and passed it over to Jess, who took a drag. "You sure?" Jess asked again, holding the joint up to him. Ryan grabbed it from her and took a swift drag. He then passed it over to Brandon, who did the same.

"Let the good times' roll…" Brandon laughed and passed the joint back to his twin sister.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Seth, supper time!" Kirsten called out to him from the bottom of the staircase. Seth, along with Summer trailing behind him ran down stairs. "Oh, Summer, would you like to eat here?" She asked.

"If that's okay, Mrs. Cohen." Summer replied.

"Oh, for sure. Let me just grab another plate." She said. Summer and Seth sat down at the table and ate the Chinese food Sandy and Kirsten had order. 

Sandy came strolling into the dinning room and sat down at his seat. "Mmm, looks good." Sandy commented. "So when did Ryan call, Seth?"

"Uh, about an hour or so ago." Seth replied, shoving some more rice into this mouth. "He gave me the impression that he was leaving right away." He added.

Sandy knew that it only took an hour from Chino to Newport. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, so he stopped his worrying and continued eating the Chinese food. After dinner was done, Seth and Summer headed off to her house to have a last minute 'study' for a test in Biology. Sandy and Kirsten sat in the den, patiently waiting for Ryan to come home.

"I'm buying him a cell phone." Kirsten commented, flipping through the channels.

Sandy laughed at her. "I was just thinking the exact same thing." Just then the phone rang and they both jumped up to get it. Kirsten sat back down and let Sandy take it. "Hello?" Sandy asked. "Okay…Yes, I'll be right there…Don't do anything." Sandy replied and then hung up the phone.

"Well, who was it?" Kirsten questioned him.

"Ryan—"

"Where is he?" She asked.

"He's at the police station in Chino."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Okay guys, short chapter. I just wanted to make you guys go a little crazy….  
Enjoy =) Chapter Nineteen should be up shortly….

****


	19. Chapter Nineteen

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Nineteen

__

"Rejected...since day one  
My name is...bastard son  
I've been damned...so many times I've lost count!  
Blue collar...working man  
Devices...master plan  
Bi-polar...with a mental side arm…"

River Below – Billy Talent

"Okay, I think we've studied enough Bio for tonight" Seth groaned, closing his book. He was sprawled out over Summer's bed. "How about we do some human biology now?" He offered.

Summer laughed. "That's one area where I know you fail the most, Cohen."

Seth put his hand up to his heart. "Ouch…But, then again, I guess I need some practice in order to get good at something, right?" Seth said, inching his way closer to her. 

Summer took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Not tonight, Seth."

"Aw, why not?"

"Well, it's a school night and I know that if I start something here, I know I won't be able to end it." She admitted. There was then a knock on Summer's door. "WHAT!?" She yelled out. Summer's step-mom opened the door.

"Phone's for you and your father told me to tell you that he won't be able to have dinner with you tomorrow night." Summer rolled her eyes and then her step mother left the room.

"I hate her…" Summer mumbled to Seth, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Summer." Marissa said, over the phone. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, I'm just doing some studying with Cohen." She replied, sticking her tongue out at Seth. He was making faces at her. "What are you doing?"

"Well, actually, I need to talk to Seth. Can I talk to him?" She asked.

"Uh, okay?" Summer said, passing the phone over to Seth. "Marissa wants to talk to you."

Seth accepted the phone. "Hey…"

"Hey, do you know where Ryan is? I've been trying to call him…I haven't talked to him since last night, before his mom came over. And before that, we weren't really talking. Is there something wrong with him?"

Seth hesitated. "He's in Chino."

"Chino? What is he doing in Chino?" Marissa asked.

"Visiting his mom…He should be home soon, I'll tell him that you called, okay?" Seth replied.

"Uh, sure…Just make sure he calls me. I really need to talk to him."

"Okay." Seth said, hanging up the phone and throwing it at Summer, who placed it back on the handset. "That was weird." Seth commented.

"Hmm?" Summer said, lying down on her bed.

"Marissa needs to talk to Ryan. You know what it's about?" Seth asked.

Summer shook her head. "Ever since Oliver came along, we haven't really been talking as much as we used to. All I know is what you know." Summer said, and then asked. "What do you know?"

"Well he did tell me the other day that he wasn't sure if he was ready to get into a relationship with Marissa….Something about not being meant for each other."

"Why did he go to Chino?" Summer questioned. "I thought he hated it there…"

"Well, I think he just wanted to get away from Newport. He said something about how life in Chino was different from here." Seth laughed to himself. "I think he's just on one of his 'journeys' of self-discovery." He added waving his hands in the air.

"Well, he's really got to talk to Marissa. The girl is going crazy…" Summer said, throwing a pillow at Seth. "Come on, I'll drive you home…" 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sandy walked into the Chino police station and spotted Ryan right away. He was sitting in one of the chairs to the side of the police station with three other kids. Sandy glanced at him before talking to the police officer.

"Hey, Marty." Sandy said, offering his hand. Marty accepted the handshake. "What happened?" Marty was a good friend of Sandy's. 

Marty Levesque glanced over at the four kids. "They were driving a stolen vehicle. And there was possession of marijuana." Marty explained. "Brandon and Chantal Keeler claim it's their dad's car and they didn't know it was stolen. We've tried to get in contact with their parents but no one's shown up but you."

"Who had marijuana on them?" Sandy asked.

"Chantal Keeler. They were all smoking when the car was pulled over." Sandy nodded his head. "I just pretty much scared the crap out of all them. They can all go home, except Chantal, I have to release her into the custody of a guardian."

Sandy nodded his head. "Okay, thanks. I'll take rest of them." Marty laughed at him. He was always the caring one, Marty thought to himself. He was really into these kids and he wondered why he quit in the first place. He was damn good at what he did.

Sandy walked over to the four of them and Ryan dared not to look at Sandy. He knew he was disappointed. Ryan wished that Sandy wouldn't come, but he did, and now he was in for it. If he didn't feel like leftovers before, he definitely felt like it now. "Okay, come on. I'll drive you kids home." Sandy said, they all stood up but Chantal, who knew she had to wait for her Mom or Dad. She knew that was going to take awhile.

The ride to Brandon's house was very quiet, except for the part where Brandon had to explain where he lived. Ryan sat in the passenger seat, fixing his gaze out of the window, trying to ignore Sandy's glares at him. Once Brandon was dropped off, Jess was the only one in the back of the seat.

"Where do you live?" Sandy asked, turning around to Jess.

"On Fairview." Jess replied and then added "46 Fairview." Ryan turned around to meet her eyes. That was not where she lived. He wondered why she had lied to Sandy. Sandy made his way to her street and Jess got out.

"I need to talk to her." Ryan said, leaving the car. Ryan ran up to Jess, just before she opened the door to the house. "This isn't where you live."

"It's a friends place." Jess replied. "I don't want to go home 'cause I know my Dad will be mad and right now I know I can't take that."

Ryan nodded his head. "Sorry, about—"

"Ryan, this was not your fault. I was stupid to bring you along….I should have known. I just hope you don't hold this against me and never come see your Mom."

Ryan shook his head and shrugged. "It wasn't your fault. And as for coming back to Chino, maybe…But from the looks of it, I doubt it. I think the Cohen's won't let me. But I would love to see you again." Ryan couldn't believe he had just told her that. Did he like her? Ryan didn't know. She was not like Marissa at all. She was very bold and wasn't afraid to express how she felt. Ryan liked that. "Well, what I—what I mean…is…" Ryan tired to explain himself.

Jess punched his right arm and he didn't flinch. He had totally forgotten about his arm. He never felt it anymore. "Dude, you're, like, cute. Shut up." Jess said, and then smiled. "Maybe I'll come visit you." She added, then walked away inside. Ryan stood there for moment, and stared off into space. He had totally forgotten about everything. He was just Ryan Atwood, nothing else. His thoughts were interrupted by Sandy's car horn.

Ryan walked back to the car with his head down and sat down in the passenger seat. Sandy started the car and back out of the lane way. Ten minutes had passed by until Sandy spoke up. "Who was that?"

"Jess, my Mom's boyfriend's kid." Sandy nodded and then Ryan said, "Sorry, about everything."

Sandy kept his eyes on the road. "Did you know the car was stolen?" He asked. Ryan shook his head. "Did you smoke pot?" Ryan nodded his head. "I used to smoke a lot of pot when I was younger, did you know that?" Sandy asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, Seth told me."

"Promise me you won't ever smoke pot again?" Sandy asked.

"I promise." Ryan said in a whisper.

"Good." Sandy said, and then paused. "How's your arm?" He asked.

Ryan was relieved. Not that he wanted to talk about his arm, but that the conversation with 'running away and smoking pot' was over. "Fine." Ryan lied. He knew he should have told Sandy that he hadn't felt it all day. Ryan changed the subject. "Can you not tell Seth about - about what happened?" Ryan asked Sandy.

"I'm not going to tell Seth anything; how's that? You can tell him what you want, but I'm sure he'll want to know where you were all day. It's Seth, you know." Sandy said, laughing. Ryan couldn't help but smile. "Takes after his father…."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth woke up to the sound of birds chirping away. He mumbled incoherently to himself and hit his alarm clock. He fell back into a heavy sleep, only to be awakened by his dad. Sandy came around his bed and pulled his sheets off of him. Seth laid on his belly, face down in his pillow in his white T-shirt and boxers.

"You have ten minutes to get ready before Summer comes and picks you up." Sandy commented, leaving the room. Seth rolled over onto his back and stared up at his ceiling. He was really tired from last night. He ended up staying at Summer's past midnight and getting home shortly after that. He didn't even know if Ryan was home or not. He didn't bother checking up on him. He didn't want to wake him, if he was home. Seth finally threw his feet over his bed, stood up and made his way over to his bathroom to take a quick shower. When he got out Summer was lying down on his bed.

"We're going to be late, Cohen." Summer commented, sitting up and straightening her hair. 

Seth ran his hands through his 'Jew-fro'. "Just trying to make some magic happen..." Seth replied. "Did you see Ryan downstairs?" He asked, gathering his school books and putting them in his bag.

"Yeah, but he just left with your dad. He's getting a drive with him." She replied, standing up. "Come on, we don't want to miss our Bio test."

"We don't?" Seth asked. 

Summer went up to him and kissed him. "After all that studying we did last night? Of course I don't want to miss it. I better get a good grade, Cohen!" She exclaimed, leaving Seth's bedroom with him trailing behind her.

When they got downstairs, Kirsten was at the kitchen table. She was still in her pajamas and was wrapped in her robe. 

"Don't you have work, Mom?" Seth asked, grabbing two juices from the fridge and handing one to Summer.

"I'm sick with a cold." She said, taking out a tissue and blowing her nose. "Your dad can't bring Ryan to physiotherapy today. Do you mind taking him?" She asked.

"Sure, I don't think I have plans." He turned to Summer. "Do we have any plans?" Summer shook her head. "Okay, I'll take him. Bye Mom." Seth said, leaving with Summer.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Ryan, what's up?" Luke asked, slapping him on the shoulder. Ryan placed his books inside his locker and then locked it.

"I've got to go to my stupid physiotherapy..." Ryan replied.

"Huh. Want me to come with you? I've got nothing better to do." Luke said.

"What about Anna? She was telling me about some fun-filled night that you two were going to have. What happened to that?" Ryan asked.

"I cancelled it." Luke replied. Ryan looked at him then continued. "Long story, man…So do you want me to come or not? Maybe after that we could just hang…Get out of here, do something."

Ryan shrugged. "Seth was going to take me to physio, but I'm sure he doesn't want to go." Just then Seth and Summer came up to the two of them.

"Hey, you ready?" Seth asked.

"Actually, uh, Luke said he could take me. I'm sure you don't want to come anyways." Seth nodded his head and looked at Summer. "And…" Ryan knew that Seth knew nothing about what happened last night. He could get away with anything right now. "Could you tell your mom and dad that I'm going to go over to Luke's after to study for a History test? I should be home by nine."

"Um, yeah…Sure. Have fun." Seth said, walking off with Summer. 

"We have a history test?" Luke asked.

Ryan shook his head and laughed at Luke. "No, long story…Come on, let's go."

Luke and Ryan drove to Ryan physiotherapy and talked the whole time about Anna. Luke wasn't sure if he wanted to date her anymore. Ryan had agreed that he still found it a little odd. "So, you're going to break it up then?" Ryan asked, as they pulled into the parking lot.

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, I think I will tomorrow." 

Luke and Ryan walked into Chelsea's office. Luke had never been there before and as soon as he saw Chelsea, he pulled Ryan aside. "Shit, that's Chelsea? She's hot." Luke whispered.

"Too old." Ryan commented, and then walked up to her. "Hey, I'm not late, am I?" Ryan asked.

"You're never too late, kid." Chelsea said. "How's the arm? Are you using it as much as I want you to?" She asked, looking at his arm. Before Ryan could respond, Chelsea grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve. "You're losing color, Ryan."

Ryan shrugged. "I haven't felt it for awhile…I thought it would go away. Is there something wrong?" He asked. Ryan looked over at Luke, who was sitting in a chair eyeing Chelsea.

"Well, it's not good, Ryan. It's telling me that you are not using your arm. In order for your arm to heal, you have to use it!" Chelsea exclaimed. "I'm sure you don't want me calling Sandy or Kirsten, so, by Wednesday, I want to see that arm in use! You hear?"

Ryan smiled, "Yes ma'am." Chelsea smiled back at him.

"So, I was talking to Sandy earlier and we've both agreed that you don't need to be coming here three times a week….but this." Chelsea pointed to his arm. "This, I'm not so sure of now and—"

Ryan cut it. "I'll use it, I promise." Ryan pleaded. He liked Chelsea, but not enough to be all bubbly about going to physiotherapy three times a week.

Chelsea rolled her eyes at him. "Okay…So, Sandy and I, we agreed that every Wednesday you will come. Is that good for you?" She asked. Ryan nodded his head. "Okay, let's get started…."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth came walking into the house with Summer and Marissa. He hadn't planned on Marissa coming over, but Summer insisted she come over and somehow, Seth was blaming Ryan for all of this. If it wasn't for him, Marissa wouldn't be there with him. But, no…Ryan decided not to talk to Marissa all day long and ignore her. Now Seth was caught up in Marissa's sob stories. Summer kept on glaring at him as he made his oh-so-casual boredom face.

They all walked into the kitchen. Sandy was standing in the middle of the kitchen, watching Kirsten unload dinner out of styrofoam boxes. "Hey!" Sandy greeted everyone. "Are you all here for supper?" He asked.

Seth looked at both the girls, "Uh, yeah, I guess. What are we having?"

"Fajitas." Sandy replied, looking at Marissa and wondering where Ryan was. "Where's Ryan?" He asked.

Seth snatched a piece of chicken from one of the Styrofoam boxes and ate it. "He's out with Luke. He told me to tell you he'll be home around nine." 

Kirsten looked at Sandy. There was a clear disappointment on her face. She had asked Sandy to punish him for his little 'run away' to Chino and with the whole ordeal at the police station. But, Sandy wanted to wait until after school to start dealing out punishments. 

Seth could see something was up with his parents. He knew they weren't telling him something. He suspected it had something to do with last night, because neither his parents nor Ryan spoke of what happened. But Ryan wouldn't have told him anything, anyway. "Okay, what's with the devil looks?" Seth asked his parents. Summer and Marissa walked off into the den. They weren't going to stick around.

Kirsten hesitated as she transferred the food over to plates. "Nothing," She replied, trying to sound convincing. But, it wasn't going to work for Seth. Seth put his hands on his hip and stared at both of his parents.

Sandy took a plate from full of chicken and handed it to Seth. "Your mother's right. It's nothing; now go put this on the table."

Seth took the plate from his dad, "Something's up…" He mumbled to himself and walked over to the dinning room table. Summer and Marissa had joined him. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, do you think Chelsea has a boyfriend?" Luke asked, hoping into the truck. Ryan started to laugh at him. "What?!" He asked, starting up the truck. "She's hot."

"I don't know, Luke…Come with me Wednesday afternoon and find out for yourself." Ryan replied.

"Maybe I will. So where are we headed?" Luke questioned.

"Not home." Ryan answered. Ryan wondered what Jess what up to. He liked hanging around with her. She didn't ask questions, which Ryan liked. "Can I borrow your cell?" Ryan asked Luke. Luke handed him his cell and Ryan dialed his mom's number praying that she wouldn't pick up.

"Stop calling me." The person answered the phone dryly.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Who's this?"

"Ryan…Atwood." He replied.

"Oh, hey…Sorry. It's me, Jess. Why are you calling?" She asked. She was kind of glad he did call her. Dawn and her dad was up her creek all afternoon yelling at her for getting caught, especially with Ryan.

"I just want to know if you wanted to do anything. Are you busy?" Ryan questioned. He looked over at Luke, who kept his eyes on the road. Ryan was sure Luke wouldn't mind if they went to Chino. Luke would probably like it there too, since he was a player and girls there were 'easy'.

"Uh, nothing. Your Mom and my Dad just went out for the night. You want to come over here? We can order a pizza and watch a movie." Jess replied. 

"Can I bring a friend?" Ryan asked.

"Your -," Jess hesitated. "Your…girlfriend?" 

"No, my friend, Luke. He's…" Ryan stopped and looked over at Luke. "He's cool…" Ryan added. "Is that okay?"

"Sure. Come on over." 

"We'll be there in an hour." Ryan said, hanging up the phone and passing it over to Luke. "We're going to Chino." Ryan told Luke.

"What's in Chino?" 

Ryan shrugged. "Chino or home….Which one?"

"Chino."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	20. Chapter Twenty

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty

__

"Everybody here is living life in fear of falling out of line.  
Tearing lives apart and breaking lots of hearts just to pass the time.  
And the eyes get red in the back of your head; this place will make you blind.  
Put it all behind me and I'll be just fine"

Back Home – Yellowcard

"Hey, Dad." Seth said, coming into the kitchen and opening the fridge. He pulled out three soft drinks.

"Hey…" Sandy replied, looking up from the papers that were laid out in front of him. "How goes it with the girls?"

Seth groaned and sat down next to his dad. "Insanely boring. If it's not about clothes and nail polish, it's about Ryan."

"Oh?" Sandy replied.

"Yeah, Ryan's been ignoring Marissa all week." Seth answered. "Now it's somehow my fault…Marissa thinks I'm hiding something from her."

"Well, are you? Has Ryan told you anything?"

Seth shook his head. "No, Dad…Well, even if he did…Why would I go off and tell Marissa?" Sandy nodded his head in agreement. "Well, I better get going with these drinks, otherwise Summer will have one of her rage blackouts and personally, I'm not prepared for one right now." Seth said, standing up.

Sandy laughed at his son and watched him walk off. He somehow had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was up with Ryan but he wasn't sure what yet. He knew he needed to find out. Sandy knew that he should have grounded Ryan last night, but he decided not to. He decided to let it slip and now look where he was; he's with Luke. Luke, Sandy thought to himself. He should just call Luke's house right now and tell Ryan to come home.

Sandy got up from the kitchen table and called Luke's house number. On the third ring, Mrs. Ward picked up. "Hello, is Ryan there? It's Sandy Cohen."

"Oh, hi Sandy. No Ryan isn't here."

Sandy raised his eyebrow. "He isn't with Luke?" Sandy questioned.

"Luke's not here either, he told me he was going to a friends place after school. Is Ryan supposed to be here?"

"Oh, uh, no…I'm not sure. Do you know which friend Luke was going to see?"

"No."

"Okay, then…Well thanks anyway, bye." Sandy replied, hanging up the phone. He stood in the kitchen with his arms crossed. Clearly, angry with Ryan. It was only seven o'clock and Seth had told him that Ryan would be home at nine. He had two hours to figure out what was up with Ryan and how to deal with it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"So, this is Chino…" Luke said to Ryan, stepping out of the truck. "Whose house is this?" He asked. 

"This is my Mom's place." Ryan replied, and then he saw the look of confusion on Luke's face. "She's not home…But Jess is." Ryan added, knocking on the front door.

"And who's Jess?" Luke asked, as the front door flew open.

"I'm Jess." Jess replied, smiling at the two of them. "Come in." She said, letting the two inside the house. Both Dawn and John were out for the night. Jess walked them into the living room. "Sit. Want anything to drink?"

"Whatever you have…" Ryan replied.

"Uh, same as him, I guess." Luke answered. As soon as Jess left the living room Luke asked, "Who the hell is that? I didn't know you had a sister!"

"I don't have a sister. That's my mom's boyfriend's kid." Ryan said, flipping on the TV. Set. He realized that the television set was the same set he had in his bedroom when he lived in Chino. He thought for sure that his mom would have pond off all of his belongings. Jess came back with three soft drinks in her hand and threw them at Ryan and Luke. "So Jess, did my Mom tell you if she got that job she was interviewed for yesterday?"

Jess shook her head and sat between the two boys. "No, she didn't get it. She's a little down…So my dad took her out tonight." Ryan nodded his head and flipped threw the channels. "So, how much shit did you get in last night?" She asked.

Luke looked at the two of them bewildered and asked, "What happened last night?"

"Nothing." Ryan spat out. 

"Come on, Chino. What happened?" Luke insisted. 

Ryan hated it when Luke called him Chino. He felt like trash…He felt like leftovers. "I spend the day here and ended up at the police station." Ryan said dryly, and then added, "No biggie."

Jess started to laugh at him. "Right…No biggie, except for the fact that my dad grounded my ass for a month. You're telling me those people you live with didn't ground you? Damn your lucky, Ryan."

Luke threw his hands up in the air and yelled out, "What the hell happened last night?!" 

"Ryan and I were driving to Newport with a couple of friends in a stolen vehicle." Jess explained. "We got pulled over. We had no clue that it was stolen, but that didn't help much because we were smoking pot." 

"Oh." Was all Luke could say. 

"Yeah…Sandy didn't really do anything. Just made me promise not to do it ever again."

"So that's why you didn't want to go home?" Luke asked. Ryan shrugged. "Whatever, man…" Luke reached over Jess and pulled the remote out of Ryan's grip. "There's a game on tonight." Luke flipped through the channels and found the game. The three of them sat there watching television and drinking their soft drinks.

The telephone rang and Jess got up to answer it. "Hello?" Jess asked. "Okay, stop calling….Seriously; I don't know what you're talking about." Jess replied, smashing phone down on its cradle and walking back into the living room. She sat back down between Luke and Ryan.

"Who was that?" Ryan asked Jess. When he had called earlier she had told him to stop calling. Someone must be calling her, and Ryan knew something was up.

Jess shook her head and smiled at him, "No one." She put up an up imaginary wall between them and focused on the game. She didn't want Ryan knowing that his mom's supplier was harassing her. She didn't want to lose anything she had between her and Ryan. If there was anything between them, that is, Jess thought to herself. If Ryan found out about his mom then he wouldn't come back and see her. She knew she would lose the connection between them and she didn't want to.

They continued watching the game until; Jess grabbed the remote from Luke and shut off the T.V. "What are you doing? I was watching that!" Luke retorted, trying to get the remote back from her. Jess ran off the couch and hid the remote under a stack of newspapers.

"Come on, this is boring…Let's go do something. What time do you boys have to be home at, anyway?" Jess questioned.

"Nine." Ryan replied, moving his right arm. He was trying to get some more coloring in it. He didn't want to go back to Chelsea on Wednesday with a white arm. There was no way Sandy and Kirsten were going to find out about it, Ryan thought to himself.

"Aw, it's almost eight. You sure you boys have to leave so soon?"

"We have school tomorrow…" Ryan answered.

"We should jet." Luke commented. It took at least an hour to get back to Newport. Ryan nodded his head in agreement. "It was nice meeting you Jess." Luke said, with his hand out. Jess accepted his hand and shook it. 

Just then Dawn and John came stumbling into the house.

"Ry…" Dawn said, stumbling into the T.V. stand. "Whaa..are you doing here?" She slurred.

"Mom…" 

Luke stood there frozen, looking at Ryan, then back at Dawn and John. Jess stood there next to him. She didn't know what to do. Her dad and his girlfriend were too wasted.

"I thought…" Ryan continued. He didn't know what to say. He thought his Mom had stopped using and drinking. She promised him that things would be better. 

"Hey, let's go Ryan." Luke said, taking a hold of Ryan's arm. Ryan shrugged off Luke's arm and started walking out, but his mom stopped him.

"Whhere do you think you're going!" She screamed out.

"Home." Ryan mumbled.

"I'm you're mother, Ryan Atwood!" She yelled out. 

John stood behind her, his eyes blood shot. Ryan turned around and looked at Jess. He didn't want to leave her here with the two of them. "Jess, uh, let's go." Ryan called out to her. Luke slid between Dawn, John and Ryan and went outside and started up his truck up. "Come on." Ryan yelled out to her. Jess nodded her head and started to leave. 

John jumped in and grabbed her. "You're not leaving with this little shit!" He stated. "Go to your room." He slapped her across the face and Jess started to cry.

"HEY!" Ryan screamed out at him. John twirled around and glared at Ryan. Ryan ignored him and called out to Jess, "Come on, we're leaving." John went in on Ryan and threw a punch at him catching his jaw. Ryan stumbled but stood his ground. Jess ran out the door way and hoped into the truck.

"Ry…" Dawn began but John cut her off.

"Look what your stupid little fucked up kid did!" John yelled at her, and then hit her. Dawn crashed down to the ground and started crying to herself. Ryan stood there; he didn't know what to do. Run away from this mess or save his mom. It didn't take long for him to make his decision as he ran out of the house and took off in Luke's truck.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"It's getting late, Marissa. Maybe we should start heading out and let poor Seth go back to his comics and video games." Summer said, glaring at Seth. He was sitting at his computer desk, twirling in his chair with pure boredom.

"No, I want to talk to Ryan when he gets home." She insisted.

"It's nine, Marissa. And he's not home yet." Summer commented, looking at the clock on Seth's night table. "Come on, Coop. I'll drive you home."

Marissa shrugged. "Just a little while longer?" 

"My bedtime is ten." Seth stated and both girls started to laugh at him.

"Ten, Cohen?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, unlike some people, I sleep. And I sleep a lot. In fact, why don't we all go to bed right now?" Seth suggested, and then stood up and made his way over to his bed where Summer and Marissa were sitting.

"In your dreams, Cohen." Summer said.

Seth ignored her and tugged at his sheets. "It's a double, we'll all fit."

Marissa stood up and sat down at Seth's computer desk. "You two can go ahead and sleep…I'll just…wait for Ryan."

With no arguments, Seth and Summer jumped into bed and cuddled up next to each other.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke pulled his truck to the side of the road next to the Cohen's drive way. "Are you two going to be okay?" Luke questioned. The whole ride home was silent and he didn't know what to say or do to the help the both of them. He wanted to help Ryan, but he didn't know how he could help him.

"Yeah, we're fine…Just don't say anything to anyone, okay?" Ryan asked, jumping out of the truck. Jess followed after him.

"I won't say a word, I promise." Luke replied, and he meant it. "So, I'll see you later." Luke said, pulled out into the road and driving off home.

"You okay?" Ryan asked Jess. Jess nodded her head. "Quite the place, huh?"

"Yeah…Big." She said, walking up the laneway beside Ryan. 

Ryan stopped. "Uh, why don't you go around the house and hide out…I don't think you should come in with me. Just hide out by those bushes over there." Ryan pointed out. "And I'll come and get you once I'm done explaining myself to the Cohen's, okay?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." Jess said, making her way over to the bushes. She crouched down and watched Ryan walk into the house.

Ryan walked into the quiet house and sighed in relief as he realized Sandy and Kirsten weren't around. He made his way over to the kitchen to go out to the poolhouse, but stopped as he heard Sandy's voice. He turned around and faced Sandy and Kirsten. 

"Where were you tonight?" Sandy asked.

"I was over at Luke's house…Studying for a history test." Ryan lied. He could tell the Cohen's didn't believe him. Kirsten looked at him, clearly disappointed at him.

"We called Luke's house and his mother told us you weren't there, neither was Luke. So, I'm asking you again, where were you tonight?" Sandy asked, raising his voice.

Ryan didn't say anything. Clearly the Cohen's had made their minds up. They didn't want him…who would?

"Ryan, honey…" Kirsten began but Ryan cut her off.

"I went to Chino…with Luke."

"Why?" Sandy asked.

"I—I don't know…I guess…I just wanted to leave, you know?" Ryan replied.

"No, I don't know, Ryan. Why didn't you just come to me and tell me you wanted to go to Chino. If you wanted to see your mom, I would have gone with you. She could have came here." Sandy explained.

"I don't want to see my mom." Ryan spat out, coldly. "I'm tired, can I just go now?"

"No. You've used all your 'get out of jail cards', Ryan." Sandy retorted. "Sit." He said, motioning to the empty stool under the kitchen island. Ryan went and took a seat. "Yesterday you ran off to Chino and left us a note, fine. But getting a phone call from the police department stating that my son was in jail is not okay. Smoking, Ryan? It's stupid, and I know you know that. You're smart." Sandy commented. "Lying to every one of your whereabouts is not smart. If you need to talk, we're here, Ryan."

Ryan didn't look up at Sandy and Kirsten. He was a little thrown back when Sandy had called him his 'son'. Was he really a son to Sandy, he thought to himself. He didn't feel like it.

"Ryan, we want to know what's bothering you….So we can help you." Kirsten said.

Ryan looked up at the both of them. "Sorry…I just needed to get away from everyone. Is that a crime?" He asked, regretting his choice of words.

"No, it's not a crime, Ryan." Kirsten replied. "But you just need to talk to us. Tell us what is going on with you. We want to know…"

"We're talking now."

"Ryan…"

"Look, Sandy….Kirsten, I know you guys are worried about me. And I won't burden you with my teenage soap opera's."

"Humor us." Sandy said.

Ryan shook his head. "Can I humor you another night? Cheat a little and use another get out of jail card?" He asked, forming a fake smile for the two of them.

"Fine, Ryan. After school tomorrow, I expect the first episode of your 'soap opera'. But as for now, you're grounded, okay?"

Ryan nodded his head and stood up. "Goodnight." He said, leaving the Cohen's kitchen and heading outside. He walked into the poolhouse and waiting for Sandy and Kirsten to disappear. As soon as the kitchen lights were off, Ryan snuck out to the side of the house and got Jess from the bushes. 

"You can crash here tonight…I didn't tell them anything, so they don't know you're here." Ryan said, handing her a pair of his old sweat pants and a wife beater. "Here. You can wear these to bed."

"Thanks." Jess said, taking them and going to the bathroom to change.

As Jess closed the door to the bathroom, the door to the poolhouse opened.

"Marissa…What are you doing here?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hope you readers liked this chapter…I've lost my editor to the world of 'American Idol'…So sorry for any spelling mistakes. I've written Chapter twenty-one already and I will post it up shortly. I just need to correct it.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty One

__

"With all of this I feel now

Everything inside of my heart

It all just seems to be how

Nothing I feel pulls at me at all

Again I wait for this to pull apart

To break my time in two…"

All of this – Blink 182

"Marissa what are you doing here?" Ryan questioned. 

"I've been waiting for you to come home…I need to talk to you, Ryan."

"Uh…" Ryan hesitated, "Hold on…I need to go to the bathroom." Ryan replied, and then walked over to the bathroom, closing the door shut behind him. Marissa watched him stumble off into the bathroom and then sat down on his bed.

Shocked that Ryan had just walking in on her changing, Jess started to yell at him. Ryan quickly covered her mouth and Jess immediately understood. Ryan let go of her. "Shhh…" He whispered. "Just stay here and don't make any noises okay?" Jess nodded her head and Ryan let his hand slip away from her mouth. He then ran the taps a few times, to make sure Marissa didn't think he was crazy. He then left the bathroom. "What do you want to talk about?" Ryan asked.

"Well, I want to know what's up. You've been ignoring me…I thought we were…together." Marissa whispered to him, trying hard to hide her emotions from him. She wanted to cry, just like she had cried to Summer and Seth earlier. She didn't know what was going on with him and she wanted to help him.

"I don't know, Marissa. But, this isn't the time to talk about it." Ryan replied. 

Marissa looked up at him, "Is there ever going to be a time, Ryan?"

"Yes, Marissa…I promise, just not right now. I'm tired, and I don't want to start something."

"Start something?" Marissa repeated. "What do you mean by that?" She stood up and faced him.

"Nothing, Marissa. Just leave, okay? I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"I don't know what's going on with you, but I know something is up, Ryan. You're locking up on me…did I do something wrong? I want to help you!"

Ryan shook his head, "No—No, you haven't done anything…It's just that I don't know if I can get into a committed relationship right now…We'll talk about this tomorrow, okay?"

Marissa started to cry. "Fine…" She stormed off and slammed the door to the poolhouse. Seconds later, Jess came out of the bathroom dressed in sweat pants and a wife beater.

"I couldn't help but over hear. Was that your girlfriend?" Jess questioned.

Ryan shrugged, "I don't know." He said, as pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He left to the bathroom to get changed. When he came out of the bathroom Jess was already in his bed. "I can take the couch…" Ryan said, grabbing a pillow.

"No, this is your bed. And it's huge, I'm sure we won't run into each other in the middle of the night." Jess said, moving over to make room for Ryan. Ryan went around the poolhouse to shut off all the lights, and then he lay down next to her. "No spooning." Jess told Ryan.

"I'll try not too." Ryan mumbled softly, drifting off to sleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"'Morning, Seth." Kirsten said, walking into the kitchen and kissing her son on the head.

"Mom, please…The hair." Seth snapped at her and brushed threw his hair. "Is that a new fragrance you are wearing, Mother?" Seth questioned, sniffing into the air.

Kirsten smiled at him and nodded. "It's the one you gave me for Christmas."

"Chrismukkah." Seth corrected her.

Kirsten laughed at him then poured herself a cup of coffee. "Ryan up yet?" She asked.

"Uh, nope…Not yet." 

"Go wake him?" Kirsten ordered. Seth groaned and walked out into the dessert heat of California. He knocked loudly on the poolhouse door.

Ryan jolted up and realized he was running late. Then he saw Jess, no one knew about Jess. "Uh, I'm Naked!" Ryan yelled out.

"Whoa, okay man…Just come inside and eat something before Mom freaks out." Seth yelled through poolhouse door. Good thing Ryan closed all the blinds last night. 

Jess woke up next to Ryan and smiled at him. "Hey." She said softly.

"Hey, uh…I'm going to be late for school." Ryan said, standing up and gathering some clothes. He then headed into the bathroom. Seconds later he came out changed. "Uh, so do you want to just hang here? We can work stuff out after school."

"Is it safe to hang here?" Jess asked.

"Well, it's not the most private place. People tend to come in and out of this place." Ryan said, putting on his black cuff. Today he could feel it. "You can always go hang out around Newport…. I'm not sure where though. The Pier is pretty nice…"

"Well I guess I could just go site seeing today." Jess replied. Ryan nodded his head and grabbed his wallet from his back pocket. He handed her forty dollars. "No, I don't need your money. I'm not a charity case." Jess said.

"No, take it…Just in case."

Jess groaned, "Fine, but you're getting it back at the end of the day. When does school let out? I could meet up with you."

"Three. Do you know where Harbor is?"

"Yeah, I think so…I'll just ask around if not." Jess replied.

Ryan grabbed his backpack. "Well, uh, towels are over there." Ryan pointed over to the shelf. "And showers in there…Make sure no one sees you. I better get going. Bye." Ryan said, leaving the poolhouse. Jess sank back into the comfy bed. What the hell just happened last night, she thought to herself. What had she gotten herself into? 

Ryan walked into the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee and then sat down next to Seth at the kitchen island. Sandy walked into the kitchen with his briefcase in on hand and his cell phone in the other.

"So Ryan, I'll pick you up after school today." Sandy said, rummaging through the fridge.

"No, it's okay; I'll just hitch a ride with Luke or something." Ryan replied. 

"You're grounded remember? Plus, you promised me episode one."

Seth looked up from his comic book. _What the hell are they talking about? Am I the only sane one here now? _Seth thought to himself. "Um, what are you talking about, Dad? Why is Ryan grounded? Ryan?" 

Sandy looked over at Ryan. He knew Ryan didn't want him to tell Seth about Chino, but Seth was smart. Sooner or later he would find out.

"Nothing." Glared at him, and then looked at Sandy. "Okay, fine…Pick me up." Ryan said, leaving the kitchen and heading over to the poolhouse. He needed to tell Jess not to come by after school.

"Okay, dad, I'm so lost!" Seth shouted out. Sandy only shrugged and walked away. Kirsten then came into the kitchen. "Mom, what is going on?"

"Hmm?" Kirsten asked.

"Why is Ryan grounded? And what is this 'episode one' promise thingy? Please, Mom, help me out here!"

"Ask Ryan." She said bluntly leaving him alone in the kitchen.

"Okay, great! Here for the comic relief, I get it!" Seth yelled out to anyone who would listen to him. "It's okay, I'm use to it! Who wouldn't be after seventeen years of leading a life of insecurity and paralyzing self-doubt....It's amazing how I've survived this long!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Seth!" Summer ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Where's Ryan?"

"Okay, hi Summer. Nice to see you today." Seth replied, walking over to the cafeteria

"Cohen, what is your problem?" Summer asked.

"Nothing. Why do you want to know where Ryan is?"

"Marissa wanted me to ask you. She told me about where he went last night, and she's going crazy. She doesn't know what to think. And the stupid bastard won't talk to her about any of it!" Summer yelled at him. She then changed the subject. "Did you want to come with me to get my hair done after school today?" She asked.

Seth dropped his backpack on the table. "Okay, what are you talking about?" He demanded.

"Ok, seriously Cohen. My hair is getting so long! I need a trim! And maybe a hair dye…Please come with me?" She asked, sitting down at the table and taking out her lunch. 

Seth waved his hands in the air. "No – No what are you talking about with Ryan. Where did Ryan go last night? Am I the only sane person here today?" He shouted out. Everyone in the cafeteria started to laugh at him. He sat down at the table and then asked again, "Where did Ryan go last night?"

"Chino."

"Chino? Ryan went to Chino?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, Marissa called me last night and went hysterical! She told me that Ryan said he didn't want to be in a committed relationship."

"Well, who could blame him? I mean, with Oliver and everything. But why did he go to Chino?" Seth asked.

"Beats me, Cohen. You're his brother, you should know!"

"Well it's kind of hard to talk to him, if you haven't realized that yet. Every time I go and talk to him…he either gets mad at me or shuts me out." Seth said, biting into sandwich. "So, if he went to Chino that means Luke went too, right?"

Summer shrugged, "Guess so. Just go ask him, he's right over there." Summer replied, pointing over to Luke and Anna. They were sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.

"Ah, into the depths of hell here I go." Seth mumbled to himself. He stood up and left Summer. He walked into the depths of hell. "Hey, uh, Luke can we talk?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, one sec." Luke replied. He then turned back to Anna. "I'll, uh, call you?"

"Don't bother!" Anna said, storming off. Seth watched her walk off into the school, and then sat down at the table.

"What was that all about?" Seth asked.

"I just broke up with her." Luke replied. He then changed the subject quickly and asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Ryan."

Luke shifted in his seat. He didn't know if Seth knew about last night or not. He had promised Ryan that he wouldn't tell a soul. Luke cleared his throat. "What about Ryan?"

"Where did you two go last night?" Seth asked.

"We were at my place…studying for a history test." Luke lied.

"I heard from Summer that you two went to Chino."

"How does Summer know?"

"Marissa was over at my house when Ryan came home and he told her."

"Oh, okay. Yeah we went to Chino."

"Why?"

"Ryan wanted to. We just went over to his Mom's place….nothing big." Luke replied. _Did he know about Jess?_ He thought to himself.

"Right, then why is he grounded?"

"He's grounded?" Luke questioned. _Maybe Seth knew about Jess after all_, Luke thought.

"Yeah." Seth stated.

"So you know Jess?" Luke asked.

_Okay, I think I've been sheltered for way too long,_ Seth thought to himself. "Who the hell is Jess?" Seth asked. "What aren't you telling me, Luke?"

Luke stood up and grabbed his backpack. "Ask Ryan." He replied, and then walked away, leaving Seth alone.

"Again, it's amazing how I've survived this long…And yet again I go unnoticed" Seth mumbled to himself.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan sat down in front of the school and waited for Sandy to come and pick him up. It had been a long day and he hadn't seen Marissa all day. She probably thought that he was ignoring her again, but he wasn't. He actually wanted to talk to her and tell her everything. 

"Hey, how are you?" Luke asked, patting him on the back.

"Great." Ryan replied, forcing a smile.

"So, Seth told me you were grounded….And uh, I kind of mentioned Jess to him." Luke admitted.

"What did you say?" Ryan questioned. His mind was running about and smashing into the corners of his head. Things were getting way too complicated.

"Well I asked if he knew about Jess. I didn't mean to say anything, I thought he already knew."

"It's okay…I guess he should know anyway…I mean, she is hiding out in the poolhouse."

"Shit." Luke replied.

"Yeah…." Just then Sandy pulled up. "Well, I'm off…See you later." Ryan said, hoping into the passenger seat. "Hey." Ryan said to Sandy as he got in.

"How was your day?" Sandy asked.

"Good…yours?" 

"Great, the lighthouse is underway. Jimmy and I have decided on the menu."

"Cool." Ryan replied.

"Yeah, 'cool'." Sandy chuckled to himself. "I've got the rest of the day off, so that's definitely hip now, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah…" Ryan said, forcing a smile_. Sandy tries way too hard with the 'hip' thing_, Ryan thought to himself. But it also made him conformable around Sandy. He felt like he wasn't around an authority figure.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, only listening to the local radio station. Sandy pulled up into the lane way and turned off the engine. Both walked into the house and sat down in the den.

"How's your arm?" Sandy asked, breaking the silence between the two of them.

"Great – good. Never better." Ryan mumbled. "Chelsea told me yesterday that I could go once a week now. I'm feeling my arm more and more." Ryan admitted.

"Good. So, is 'episode one' on its way? Or do I have time to brew up some coffee?" Sandy asked.

Ryan shrugged, "Pour me a cup?" Sandy laughed at him and walked off into the kitchen. He came back minutes later, with two coffee mugs. He handed one to Ryan. "Thanks."

"So, want to tell me why you left us and went to Chino?" Sandy asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ryan opened up to Sandy; he had no choice at this point. "I'm just confused, tired and frustrated Sandy. Everything is hitting me at once. First it's my arm, then its Marissa, our relationship is just screwed right now and now – now it's my mom." Ryan stopped at took a sip of his coffee. "I went to see her to get away from here. I don't want to leave you guys, I swear. I don't want to see my mom ever again."

"What happened yesterday?" Sandy asked.

"Luke and I went down to Chino to just hang out with Jess. My mom and John, her boyfriend, weren't going to be there. We were just watching T.V, until they came home…" Ryan stopped and fell silent. Sandy didn't say anything and Ryan continued. "My mom was pissed drunk." He stated coldly.

"Are you okay? Did anything happen?" Sandy was concerned now.

"No, not exactly. Luke and I left just in time for anything to start." Ryan lied.

"Good." Sandy commented.

Ryan felt bad. He knew he should have told him that Jess was here, but he knew he would get in further trouble for bringing her home. Especially since they slept in the same bed and he had hid her out all day.

"Is there anything else, Ryan?" Sandy asked, he could tell Ryan was bothered by something else. Ryan shook his head. "Okay, well you're still grounded. Only because I love you, kid." He said, patting him on his knee and standing up. "Dinner's at six." He said, and then walked off.

Ryan grabbed his backpack from the ground and headed off to the poolhouse. When he got in he called out to Jess. She was no where in site. "Jess?"

Jess came out from the bathroom, drying her hair. "Hey, Ryan. I got bored…So I took another shower. Love the shampoo selection. Tearless shampoo?" She joked.

"I wash really fast…It gets in my eyes." Ryan replied, slouching down into the one and only couch in the poolhouse. "So, I'm grounded…And they still don't know you're here." Ryan told her.

"I should be leaving anyway…I mean my dad is probably worried sick about me."

"You don't have to go back to him, Jess." Ryan said, then sat up and looked at her seriously. "Does he hurt you, Jess?" Jess shook her head and started to cry. She quickly hid her face from Ryan and ran to the bathroom. Ryan ran after her and pounded on the locked door. "Come on, Jess. I want to help you!"

"Can you just leave me alone, Ryan?" Jess asked.

"No, I can't…You're in my poolhouse." Jess opened the door and let him in. She leaned against the wall in the bathroom and slid down, covering her face from Ryan. "You okay?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

She shook her head. "Ever since I came to Chino, my life has been a nightmare." She looked up and Ryan. "But when your mom came and started to live with me and my dad…Things were great. He really liked her, until he got bored of her. They started fighting…and that's when my dad went back to his normal self. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. Sorry…" She whispered.

"No, it's not your fault, Jess. You don't have to live there, you know…You could always go back home to Toronto, can't you?" Ryan asked.

"No…My mom doesn't live there anymore. She's gone, Ryan."

"Where did she—"

Jess cut him off, "She's just gone! I don't want to talk about it, okay?" 

"Fine…Just please, don't go back home."

"I have no where else to go, Ryan."

"You can stay here another day….Let your dad cool off, okay?"

Jess shrugged and stood up. "I haven't eaten anything all day. Do you think maybe you can get me something?" She asked.

"Shit, sorry…I totally forgot…uh, just wait right here…I'll go get you something to eat." Ryan said, walking out of the poolhouse and into the kitchen

He rummaged through the fridge and grabbed a large assortment of food. He closed the fridge shut and jumped when he saw Seth standing there. "Hey…"

"What are you doing?" Seth asked.

"I'm hungry…" Ryan said, walking away from him.

"Supper's soon, you know." Seth said, following him outside.

Ryan stopped at the poolhouse door. "What?" He asked when he realized Seth was going to follow him in. "Is there something you need?"

"Dude, I just want to hang out…You must be bored in there. All alone, with no one to talk to but yourself…happens to me all the time, buddy." Seth said, patting him on the back. He opened the door to the poolhouse and walked in to find a girl sitting on his bed. "Um, who are you?"

"Seth…" Ryan began.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty Two

**__**

"Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.

The only thing I know is awkward silence.

Your eyelids close when you're around me to shut me out.

Don't shut me out."

Freakish – Saves the Day

"I'm Jess." Jess said, handing her hand out to Seth. Seth shook it and turned to look at Ryan. "I'm a friend of Ryan's." She added.

"Yeah, she's a friend." Ryan repeated.

"Oh, a friend? From Chino?" Seth asked. Both of them nodded their heads and Ryan handed her some food. "So Ryan, is your friend staying for dinner?"

"Uh—" Ryan began to say something, but Jess cut him off.

"No, I was just leaving." She replied, handing the food back to Ryan. "I better go home…" She started to leave but was held back by Ryan.

Ryan took out his right arm to stop her. Seth stared at him in awe. He had enough strength in his arm to hold Jess back. _This was something new_, Seth thought to himself. Ryan ignored Seth's stare and threw his body towards the doorway. "You're not leaving, Jess. We need to talk."

"Talk, Ryan? Ryan Atwood…talk? Is there something I'm missing here?" Seth questioned, his hands on his hips.

"Ryan, this has nothing to do with you." Jess stated.

"What has nothing to do with him?" Seth asked.

"Jess, it's my Mom that is causing all of this shit to happen. If it wasn't for her…" Ryan trailed off and the room went silent.

"Well, I can't stay here and you know that. I'll just crash at a friends place if my dad is still pissed off." She told him.

"Hello? What are you guys talking about!" Seth shouted out to the both of them. Ryan and Jess ignored him and continued to stare each other down. "Again I go unnoticed." Seth mumbled to himself.

"At least stay for supper?" Ryan asked. Jess stared at her feet and shrugged. "Sandy's good at…stuff like this. He could help you." Ryan stopped and waited for Jess to respond, but she didn't.

"Uh, Ryan…can we, uh, talk…" Seth asked. Jess took the cue and walked away from them. "Just for a minute…" Seth said, walking out of the poolhouse. Ryan followed him. "Okay, so, what's going on?"

"That's my mom's boyfriend's kid, Jess." Ryan explained. He told him all about how Luke and him went over to Chino to go 'hang' with her. Then he told Seth about his Mom being pissed drunk and John hitting Jess. "She'll die there, Seth. If not physically then emotionally…I know what it's like…"

"Well…I don't think Mom is going to let another teenager in this house." Seth joked. "But I think you should at least tell them what's going on." Seth advised him.

"Yeah, I should have told them sooner…But I didn't know what to do. Everything is just crazy right now and I have a lot of shit going on…I just don't want her to go back to my Mom. I know what it's liked to have to live with her…I thought she changed…" Ryan trailed off looking pass Seth and at the ocean. He thought he owed it to Jess to help her. It was the Atwood luck that was striking her and she wasn't even an Atwood. 

Kirsten looked over from the kitchen window at Seth and Ryan; who were outside the poolhouse talking to each other. She knew something was up because Ryan was doing all the talking and Seth was just standing there nodding his head. She didn't know if it was the wine she was drinking that was causing her to see such a thing, or if it was actually happening. Ryan _was_ opening up more to Seth these pasts months, Kirsten thought to herself. She decided to go outside and get them to help her with supper.

"Hey boys, can you come inside and help me unload supper? It's getting cold!" She yelled out, dangling from the patio doors.

"Tell them…" Seth mumbled to Ryan as he walked inside the house. Ryan retreated back to the poolhouse to get Jess.

"What's for dinner?" Seth asked, peeking through the containers that were laid out on the table.

"A little bit of everything." She replied, sipping her wine. "So, what were you two boys up to?" She questioned. Sandy came into the kitchen to help unload the food.

"Guy stuff…" Seth lied.

"Guy stuff?" Sandy repeated. "You know, I'm really good at _'guy stuff'_. I happen to be a guy myself…"

"I haven't noticed…" Seth mumbled to himself. 

Ryan came walking into the kitchen with Jess behind him. "Uh, Sandy…Kirsten…"

"Ryan—Jess, I didn't know you came to visit Ryan." Sandy then turned to Ryan. "You're grounded, remember. No guests, but I will make an exception."

"Actually Sandy, uh – she's been here all day…Since last night." Ryan admitted.

Seth grabbed some food onto his plate. "You know what, I think I'm going to eat in my room tonight…I'll make it a little ritual…Every time Ryan comes home with a girl." He told them and then walked off. There was no way he was staying to watch how it was going to turn out. Although, it could turn out good, Seth admitted. Maybe he would just ease drop a little through the vent from his room.

"Since last night?" Kirsten repeated. "She came home with you from Chino?"

Ryan nodded his head and looked at Sandy. "I lied, Luke and I didn't just leave before anything happened. My mom and her Dad came home and they were both pissed drunk. John hit Jess and I took her home with me. I couldn't let her stay there."

"Ryan, you should have told us!" Sandy said. "Are you okay?" He asked Jess.

"I'm fine. It was nothing." Jess replied. "I should go back home, anyway. My Dad is probably worried sick." She lied. She knew her dad probably hasn't even noticed or at least cared enough to know if she was alive or dead.

"Sandy will drive you back home. But first, you must eat something." Kirsten said. There was no way she was letting another teenager into this house. She liked Ryan, she loved him like he was her own child, but there was no way she'd let another teenager into this house.

Jess nodded and sat down next to Ryan at the table.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jess was back in Ryan's poolhouse sitting down on his bed. "Thanks for supper." 

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I mean, like does your Dad hit you a lot?" That was the real question Ryan wanted to ask.

"No, Ryan…he doesn't. It's just that when he drinks…He's just not himself and I understand that." She stopped talking as Sandy came into the poolhouse.

"Ready?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah." Jess said and then left the poolhouse with Sandy. Ryan followed them to the car. "I'm fine, Ryan. You don't have to come back to Chino to drop me off…I don't want anything to happen. I'll talk to you later." Jess said and then climbed into the car. Ryan nodded and back away from the car as it left the lane way.

Ryan walked back to the poolhouse and found Seth sitting on his bed. "Hey buddy…So want to play some Playstation?" Seth asked.

"Can't…grounded. Besides, I was about to call Marissa." Ryan replied. He didn't really want to talk to Marissa right now, but he knew that he had to explain his odd behavior these past few days.

"Well in that case, I'll go scram." Seth said and then left the poolhouse to go play Playstation by himself.

As soon as Seth left, Ryan picked up the phone and dialed Marissa's number.

"Hello?" Marissa answered the phone.

"Hey…" Ryan replied. "How are you?"

"Fine."

"Look, I called to just tell you what's been going on…"

"Have you been ignoring me?" Marissa asked.

"No, I haven't. It's just that when you came over last night…Jess was here and I didn't want you to find out and I was stressed out and I didn't mean to yell out at you like I did." Ryan babbled on. "I just haven't been myself with everything that's been going on…"

"Who's Jess?"

"My Mom's boyfriend's kid."

"Oh…" Marissa mumbled. "So what you said last night…Did you mean it?"

"I don't know anything right now, Marissa." Ryan admitted. "I'm not sure if I want to be in a relationship…and it's not you…it's me, Marissa. I don't want to hurt you."

"Ryan, how could you possibly hurt me?" Marissa questioned. She didn't understand what Ryan was talking about.

"Nothing…I just wanted to let you know that I just wanted to be friends, okay? Can we be friends?" Ryan asked.

"I guess… I mean, I love you, Ryan…"

"Marissa…" Ryan began.

"No, Ryan, I'll be your friend but I want you to know that I'm still in love with you and I know what you're thinking. Oliver didn't have anything to do with this, okay? Since you came to Newport I knew there was something about you that I liked. I can't quite explain it…it's crazy." Marissa laughed nervously. "But, I will be you friend if that's what I have to do."

"Okay." Ryan replied. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow then." Ryan said.

"Yeah, want me to come and pick you guys up?" She asked.

"Uh, I think Summer is picking up Seth…so…"

"Yeah, sure, no problem. I'll see you later then." She said and then hung up the phone.

Ryan put the phone back on its cradle and flopped down onto his bed. He raised his right arm and looked at it. He was started to get feeling in it and smiled to himself. He wiggled his fingers and watched them moved. He felt like a baby discovering its movements.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty Three

__

"But as for me I'm coming to my final failure.

I've killed myself with changes trying to make things better.

And ended up becoming something other 

Than what I had planned to be."

- Bright Eyes

Seth whistled away in the passenger seat of Summer's car. "Seth!" Summer warned him and he stopped whistling. "This song is already a terrible song…It doesn't need your whistling to make it worse!" She said, gripping onto the steering wheel. They were caught up in morning traffic. "Stupid bastard is on my tail!" She yelled out, looking into her rearview mirror. Both Seth and Ryan turned around and glared at the driver in the car behind them. "I hate traffic!" Summer complained.

Seth switched the radio station and began whistling to a Brand New song. 

"We're going to be late." Ryan said from the back seat. "I can't be late…"

Summer's car came to an abrupt stop. "Uh, stupid moron!" She yelled out the window. She turned to Ryan and replied; "The bumper to bumper wasn't my idea either for this morning's car ride!" 

"Summer!" Seth yelled at her. "Go!" He pointed to the road and Summer pressed her foot on the gas.

They finally made it to school, but were twenty minutes late. In the morning Seth and Summer had been making out and lost track of time. And Ryan had woken up late. Ryan rushed off to his history class as Seth and Summer went to their Biology class. 

"Mr. Atwood, you're late." Mr. Schmidt said. "Take a seat and see me after class." Ryan nodded and took his seat in the back of the class where Luke was seating.

"Hey." Luke whispered. "Where have you been?"

"Summer." Ryan whispered back. He knew Luke would understand him, with just his one word response.

"Okay, so as I was saying." Mr. Schmidt raised his voice, looking at Ryan. "I will not be assigning partners for this project. You can do it on whatever you like. Use your imagination, people!" He told the class. "This is worth a lot, so, therefore, be smart when you pick your partner." He explained the project to the class and then the bell rang.

"Want to be my partner?" Luke asked, packing up his books.

Ryan shrugged, "Sure."

"Awesome, I'll see you at lunch." Luke said, leaving the classroom.

Ryan grabbed his books and went to the front of the class to talk to Mr. Schmidt. "Sorry I was late…There was a traffic jam." Ryan apologized.

"I understand and I hope it won't happen again, but that's not why I asked you to stay after class." Mr. Schmidt explained, handing Ryan a paper. It was last week's test. "Would you like to explain this to me?"

Ryan looked at the grade. He had flunked the test terribly. He usually did well on all his assignments and tests, but he hadn't paid much attention to the test when he wrote it. His mind was everywhere but the test. "Sorry, I – I'll do better next time?" Ryan mumbled.

"Do you know what this means?" His teacher asked.

"Uh, no…What does it mean?" Ryan asked, still looking at his test. He scanned through his answers. Most of them were blank, but most of the test was filled in half-assed.

"Dr. Kim explained to you before the starting of the school year that you had to maintain your grades. If you cannot maintain your grades than I'm afraid this school isn't meant for you, Ryan Atwood."

"Sir, it's just one test. How bad can it affect my grade?"

"The midterm is coming up, Ryan. This test could bring your mark down considerably." Mr. Schmidt explained. His second period was starting to pile into the classroom. "If you don't have a passing grade this midterm, Ryan, you're out."

Ryan laughed nervously and handed the test back to his teacher. "Is there a re-test I can take?"

"I'm afraid not." Mr. Schmidt replied. "But, you may have a chance of passing this midterm if you do exceptionally well on the project that I had assigned today." Ryan nodded his head and Mr. Schmidt handed him a slip for his other teacher, for his late arrival. "You better start working hard on that project, Mr. Atwood."

Ryan took the slip. "Okay, I will." He said and then left.

Ryan went to his locker and dropped off his books. The hallways were empty as he made his way over to his math class.

"Ryan!" Marissa called out. She was leaving Dr. Kim's office. "Wait up!" She ran up to him.

"Hey." Ryan replied. He looked around the hallways. "How are you?" He asked, shifting his books into his right arm. He could practically feel his arm today and it felt good. He knew Chelsea was going to be happy for him.

"Oh, I'm good. Just talking over some stuff with Dr. Kim. Another stupid charity event." Marissa explained. "I'm beginning to hate all these charity events."

"I know what you mean." Ryan replied.

"Yeah." Marissa smiled at him. "We better get to class. I'll see you later." Marissa said and then walked away from him.

Ryan watched her walk away and thought to himself, '_Well, that went pretty well. The 'friend' thing seemed to be working out_.' He had a good feeling that their relationship wasn't going to eerie, like he had thought it would be. Ryan walked into his math class and handed his slip to his teacher and then sat down at his desk. He wasn't paying much attention throughout class. He kept thinking about his history project he had to do with Luke. He knew he needed to start right away if he wanted a good mark.

At lunchtime, Ryan and Luke sat alone at a table in the outside cafeteria, discussing their project. 

"We could go over to my house right after your physiotherapy if you want? Work a little on the project and then hang." Luke offered, biting into his sandwich.

"Can't." Ryan replied. "I'm grounded. Plus, right now, I'm sure they won't believe me."

"Right, well just explain to Sandy that you have a big project that you need to work on. I'm sure he'll understand, Ryan."

"He won't understand why I failed my history test."

"Maybe he won't ask." Luke said, pulling out his cellphone. "Call him and ask." Luke handed him his cellphone and Ryan took it.

Ryan dialed Sandy's cellphone number. He still had it in his head ever since he had called him that day in Chino. That was the day that had changed his life forever.

"Hello?" 

"Hey Sandy, its Ryan."

"Ryan? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Sandy." Ryan rolled his eyes at Luke and Luke laughed. "I just called to ask if I could go over to Luke's house after physiotherapy. We have a project to work on for our history class. Is that okay?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan you know you are grounded. Didn't you guys just do a project together? When is this 'project' due?" Sandy questioned. He was beginning to think that Ryan didn't want to come home. 

"We did, yes. But now we have another one. School comes first, right?" Ryan added. "I know I'm grounded, but this is school."

"Are Luke's parents going to be home?"

"Yeah." Ryan lied. He had no clue if they were going to be there or not.

"Okay, I want you home by eight though. No horsing around – Just work. Comprendez?"

Ryan laughed. "Yeah, thanks. Bye." Ryan said and then gave Luke his cellphone back. "Done."

"Great. We'll work on the project for a few hours and then we'll just hang…You know, relax." Luke laughed. "Hey, do you think I should ask Chelsea if she has a boyfriend or not?"

Ryan started to laugh at him. "So you're definitely done with Anna?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm a free man."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"You're doing great, Ryan." Chelsea told him. "Just keep it up, okay. So I'll see you next week."

"Thanks." Ryan said, as he put on his jacket. 

Luke got up from his chair and walked over to them. "I'm Luke, by the way." Luke held out his hand. They shook hands and then Luke asked, "I was wondering if you'd like to go grab a drink with me sometime…If you're free. Are you free?"

Chelsea started to laugh. "Uh, you're a little young for me. I'm twenty-five and you're like what? Seventeen?"

"Twenty-two. I'm uh, I'm Ryan's cousin." Luke replied, ignoring Ryan's glare. "So, how about it? Would you like to go out sometime?"

Chelsea smiled at him. "Sure. How's tonight?"

"Luke, we have our project to do." Ryan cut in.

"Project?" Chelsea asked. 

"Ryan, he has this history project and I promised him I would help him with it. I major in American History. Isn't that right, Ryan?" Luke nudged him.

Ryan forced a smile. "Yeah, he is supposed to help me on _my_ project."

"Oh, well then…" Chelsea grabbed one of her business cards and wrote her home phone number down. "Here." She handed it to him. "Call me whenever."

"Awesome. Well, thanks a lot." He put his arm around Ryan's shoulder. "Come on 'cuz, we should really start on that project of yours. I'll call you, Chelsea." He said and then left with Ryan.

As soon as they were outside Ryan started laughing. "You didn't just do that…Shit Luke, if she finds out, you're dead. Trust me, I've seen her mad before and it's not a pretty sight."

"Well, she can't be any worse than Summer, can she?"

Ryan shook his head and continued laughing. "Nah, not as bad at Summer at all."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Watch it." Seth grabbed Captain Oats out of Summer's hands. "He's delicate and breaks easily." He said, setting Captain Oats down on his desk. "So, again tell me why I _have to_ go with you to your house for dinner and meet your dad. From what you've told me so far…I don't think I'm ready to meet him."

Summer sighed. "He's not _that_ bad." She protested. "He's rarely ever home for dinner because he's always busy with his work. Plus, he invited you…You have to go."

"And why on earth would he invite me?" Seth questioned.

"He wants to know who I'm dating. He may not be around enough to be a parent, but he always makes time to meet the guys I'm dating." Summer explained. "It's his way of tormenting me."

"That's awesome…Maybe I should just wear a Speedo and talk like I've seen too much sun, 'cause I'm sure that's what he's looking for." Seth joked.

"No, he'll like you, Cohen. Trust me…" She replied and then started kissing him. "Just don't wear what you're wearing." She commented, pulling away from him. She went over to his closet and started looking around.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Seth asked.

"It's too…Uh, I don't know." She took out a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. "Here, these should do." She handed them to Seth.

"Dear Lord." Seth gulped. "Now I really don't want to go. My mom bought these for me like a year ago; hence the reason why they were shoved in the back of the closet. There's no way I'm wearing this." 

"Seth!" Summer begged him. "Please? Just try them on!" Seth shook his head and threw the clothes on his bed. Summer grabbed Captain Oats and waved him in the air. "Try them on." She repeated.

"Oh, so now it's going to be like this." Seth started unbuttoning his T-shirt. "You're lucky Captain Oats and I are very close. I've had him ever since I was a little kid, you know." He pulled on the polo shirt and slid out of his pants, pulling on the khakis. "Happy?"

Summer pressed her lips together and walked over to him and fixed the polo T-shirt. "You look good." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "So, you're coming?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you owe me big time!" 

Summer laughed at him. "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it up to you."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Luke was at his computer researching, while Ryan was on Luke's bed jotting down notes from their textbook. They had decided to do their project on the history of American government, looking into in-depth principles of democracy and economics. 

"So, exactly what kind of stuff do you want to throw in?" Luke asked.

"Uh, well, what we did for our last project was pretty good." Ryan replied. "Whatever gets me a passing grade that's good enough to continue going to Harbor." He said, flipping through his textbook.

"Okay." Luke said, and then his phone rang. "Hello?" He answered it.

"Hey Luke, its Marissa."

"Oh, hey Marissa." Luke replied. Ryan took his eyes off his textbook and stared at Luke. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to do something." Marissa asked. "There's this new movie that's out and Summer's busy tonight. Did you want to come with me?"

"As in a – "

Marissa cut him off. "No, not a date, Luke. Just as friends…"

"Right, well I can't. Ryan's over and we're busy."

"Oh…"

"Yeah." Luke replied. "Another time."

"Okay, bye." Marissa hung up the phone.

Luke put his phone back down and continued researching for their project. Ryan was still looking at him. He wondered what Marissa was calling him for. "Who was that?"

"Marissa…She wanted to go see a movie tonight with me."

"Oh…" Was Ryan jealous? He didn't know. Should he be? He thought to himself. "As in a date?" He asked.

"Nah, just friends." Luke told him. "Hey, you want to take a break? We've been at this for two hours…I think we've done enough for today."

Ryan gave in. "Sure." He was getting tired from all the researching they had been doing. He did have two weeks to hand in the project. "What do you want to do?"

"I know of this cool…Restaurant, I guess you can say…Want to go out and eat?" Luke asked.

"Sounds good." Ryan said, closing his book.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, another short chapter. I'm really not sure if I should continue this story or not. Although, next chapter looks like it could be a good one; for what I'm thinking of doing. Tell me if you want me to continue it or not.

Also, if you haven't done so already…Check out my new story 'Glory Fades'.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

+Possible spoiler involved.+

Okay, so I'll continue with this Fic for a couple more chapters. I'll tie up some loose ends and we'll see how it goes from there. If you have any comments please post. Thank You. (It occurred to me that I have no clue how to unbutton a T-shirt. Thanks for pointing out my mistake famous99)

**** ****

Chapter Twenty Four

__

"Whenever did it all happen   
That one color after another seems to fade   
Now the sky is carved with a coalpen   
It's all gray despite the effort you made."

Painting - Blindside 

"This is a first." Sandy commented, as he checked the fridge contents.

"Huh?" Kirsten replied, looking up from the file she was reading. Today her father signed another large development and of course, that meant she had to work double overtime to get everything done. "What's a first?" She asked.

"Well, it's the first time in a long time that both Seth and Ryan are not here for dinner." Sandy smiled at her. "Heck, we should celebrate. Why don't we go out to dinner…How about one of that one near that – "

Kirsten cut him off. "No can do. Not tonight, Sandy. My father just signed a new contract and I'm up the creek in papers." She replied, flipping through her files. "Besides, Ryan should be home at eight."

Sandy shook his head. "No, he called earlier and told me that he was going to be running late with the project." Sandy went over to her at the kitchen table and put his hands on her shoulder. He pressed his thumbs into her neck and started to give her a massage. Kirsten tingled all over. 

"Encouraging me with a little back rub are we?" She laughed.

"Is it working?" Sandy asked.

"Maybe." Kirsten smiled at him. She closed her file on the table. "Why don't we skip dinner and go upstairs. I'm sure we can find something else to do." She stood up and kissed him.

Sandy wrapped his hands around her waist and held her close. "I'm sure we'll find something else…" He mumbled, and then started kissing her gently on the neck. He then let go of her and they both made their way upstairs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Where are we going?" Ryan yelled over the heavy music that was blaring in Luke's truck.

"I'm friends with this guy that can get us into a club." Luke replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Don't worry, Ryan." He could tell Ryan was going to protest. "You need to get out and release yourself. Have fun…get drunk, make out with a chick you don't know."

"Release myself?" Ryan questioned in disbelief. "If you're referring to your tactics that you went by while you went out with Marissa…I don't think I should buddy up and follow along."

Luke frowned at him. "Ryan, man…loosen up." He started to laugh. "What happened in Mexico with Marissa – " 

Ryan cut him off. "It's over right? And Marissa and I…we're over." Ryan wanted to believe his own words, but he wasn't sure if he could. He had never had feelings like this over and girl and he was scared. He faked a half smile towards Luke and said, "Loosen up? I can do that."

When they got to the club there was no line up. It was just a little after eight.

"So, who's this friend?" Ryan asked, as they walked over to the bouncer.

Luke ignored him. "Shane, what's up man." Luke asked the bouncer, embracing him into a friendly hug.

"Not a whole lot, man." The bouncer replied, looking over at Ryan. "You boys out on a school night? Maybe I should call your dad." He laughed jokingly.

"Just here for a few beers and a couple of girls." Luke replied, walking into the club. Ryan followed closely behind him. Loud music was playing in the club.

"Who was that?" Ryan asked, shouting loudly over the music.

"Friend of my dad's…He's cool. He let's me in all the time. We just have to keep a low profile." Luke explained. Ryan nodded his head. Luke went up to the bartender and order four beers. "Here." He handed two beers to Ryan and walked off. Luke went up to some random girl and handed her a beer. They started talking and then disappeared.

Ryan took a seat at the bar and drank both beers. "Hey, uh, can I have a shot of tequila?" Ryan asked the bartender. The bartender placed the shot down in front of him. Ryan picked up the shot and looked at it. His mom loved tequila. He never understood why and he never questioned her because he was afraid of her.

"Hey." A girl said, sitting down next to him. "I'll have what he's having." She told the bartender. 

"Hey." Ryan replied, turning to her. The bartender gave her a shot of tequila and she quickly washed it down. Ryan gulped his down and asked for two more. 

"I'm Alyssa, by the way…You look a little young." She laughed at him and took another shot of tequila.

"I'm old enough to get in here." Ryan replied. "I'm Ryan." He smiled at her and then swallowed down another shot of tequila. He could feel the liquor sliding down his throat with fire, as it hit the pit of his stomach.

"You want to dance?" She asked.

"Sure." Ryan replied. The room was starting to spin on him as he stood up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth sat on Summer's bed staring at her in a trance. She was at her closet rummaging through her clothes and rambling on about them.

"My stepmother bought me this like six months ago. Ew! I can't believe it's still hanging my closet!" She exclaimed, throwing it to the ground. She pulled out a dark blue dress and held it up to her. "What do you think?"

"Uh, great." Seth smiled at her. "Perfect."

"Are you sure? Maybe I should just go with that red dress over there." Summer said.

"No, go with the blue one." Seth told her. 

Summer vanished to her bathroom and reappeared in the blue dress. "How do I look?" She asked, with her hands on her hip.

"You look – Wow. You look great." Seth replied and then walked over to her. "Are you sure you want to have dinner with your dad? I mean, we could just skip it, right?"

"Cohen, my Dad invited you over here for dinner. We can't just skip it! Besides, do you really want that on your record?"

"My record?" Seth repeated.

"Yeah, like, you know…Your first impression on my father." She laughed. "I don't know! Come on! Let's go downstairs. My dad should be home." 

Seth followed her downstairs and into their living room. She was right, her dad was home. He was sitting, with his wife, in the living room.

"Summer, dear." He stood up and kissed her on the cheek. "This must be…" Mr. Roberts tried to remember the kids name.

"Seth Cohen, Mr. Roberts." Seth pulled out his clammy hand and shook hands with the older man.

"Nice to meet you." Mr. Roberts said, wiping Seth's sweat onto his dress pants. There was an awkward silence between the four of them. "Supper's almost on the table, why don't we all have a seat." Mr. Roberts said, cutting through the silence.

"Just be yourself." Summer whispered to him.

"Oh, like that always works!" He whispered back to her, as they sat down side by side at the table.

"So, Seth…Summer tells me that you enjoy playing sports. Back in the day I was a football player. I also did a little wrestling. What kind of sports to you play?" Mr. Roberts questioned.

Seth glanced at Summer, who smiled back at him. "I – Uh," Seth grabbed the glass of water that was set in front of him and gulped it all down. Mr. And Mrs. Roberts watched him curiously. "I play skate. I mean I skateboard. And I also, uh – "

Summer cut him off. "He sails."

"Yeah, I sail." Seth repeated.

"You sail? Well, that's interesting." Summer stepmother commented.

"Yeah, I also read comics." Seth blurted out. "More of a hobby of mine than a sport." He laughed nervously. Summer kicked him under the table.

"Comic books?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"I hear the skepticism in your tone, sir, but I consider the comic book to be a legitimate art form." Seth explained.

__

Oh God, kill me now, Summer thought to herself.

"Frank Miller's Sin City? Powers by Brian Bendis - Arguably the best writer in comics today. Combines the storytelling panache of Stan Lee with the lyrical sophistication of Alan Moore." Seth rambled on. "Probably a little obscure. Okay. But I'm sure you're a fan of Superman? No? Batman? Iceman? He can freeze things. Can be very handy if your...refrigerator breaks."

The room fell silent and both Mr. And Mrs. Roberts looked at Seth as if were some kind of lunatic. Seth laughed nervously to himself.

"So, Summer…How are things at school?" Mr. Roberts asked, ignoring Seth.

"Summer's great in Biology. Did you know that?" Seth spoke up. The Robert's maid then came in with their food. "We dissected a pig yesterday. It was great." Seth smiled back and forth between Summer and Mr. Roberts.

"Cohen." Summer whispered. "The food looks great." She said, eyeing her plate of food.

"Yeah, sure does!" Seth said. "Our maid doesn't work as much as she did before…So now we rely on my Mom's cooking. Which isn't exactly that edible…If you know what I mean." 

Mr. Roberts smiled at Seth. "Let's just eat our food without any conversation."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan was laughing uncontrollably as the bouncer threw him to the side of the curb. He had gotten into a little fight with another guy who was trying to take Alyssa away from him.

"Ryan, shit man…." Luke said, walking up to him. He turned to the bouncer. "Sorry Shane…won't happen again."

"It better not." Shane replied.

Luke went over to Ryan, who was still laughing, and assisted him to his feet. "Shit, what the hell have you been drinking?" He asked as they made their way over to Luke's truck.

"If you were a crayon…What color would you be?" Ryan asked, as Luke opened the door for him. Ryan climbed into the truck. "So, what color?" He asked again.

"What?" Luke asked. "Why are you talking about crayons?"

"I like crayons. Do you like crayons?" Ryan asked, as Luke got into the driver's seat and started the truck. Ryan started laughing uncontrollably. "Do you remember Oliver?" He asked.

"What about Oliver?" Luke replied. Ryan was definitely not thinking straight. Luke regretted leaving him at the bar.

"He shot me." Ryan slurred. He continued laughing as he pointed to his arm. All of a sudden Ryan stopped laughing and turned in his seat, staring at Luke. "Am I – Am I a leftover?" Ryan asked.

Luke kept his eyes on the road. "What? A leftover? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Shit, Luke…" Ryan punched the dashboard.

"Ryan! Watch it, man." Luke yelled at him. "The Cohen's are going to be so pissed…" He mumbled to himself.

"I'm nothing but fucking leftover's…" Ryan shouted out, as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He tried to open the back window of the cab.

"What the hell are you doing, Ryan?" Luke questioned.

"I need to get out. I can't be here…I – I need to go." Ryan replied, as he fidgeted with the window. He gave up and opened the truck door.

"RYAN!" Luke shouted, as he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. The truck stopped and Ryan fell to the side of the road. Luke got out of the driver's seat and went around the truck to check on his friend. "Ryan, what the hell." He said.

Ryan got up on his feet and then went back down on his hands and knees as he threw up everywhere.

"Shit." Luke said. "What the hell were you drinking?" Ryan stopped vomiting and sat down on the ground, resting his head against the truck. Luke wasn't sure, but he thought Ryan was crying. "Ryan?"

"Leave." Ryan shouted at him. "Go home."

"What? You're not making any sense, Ryan." Luke grabbed his arm and lifted him up to his feet. Ryan was too drunk to protest from Luke's grip. "Come on, man. Let's get you home."

Ryan rested his head against the window, as Luke drove him home. Neither of them said anything and Luke kept on looking over at Ryan to make sure he was okay. When they got home Luke guided him into the poolhouse. Neither Sandy nor Kirsten was awake. It was almost midnight. 

As soon as Ryan's head hit the pillow he fell fast asleep.

"Ryan?" Luke asked. No response. "Good luck." He whispered, as he left the poolhouse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"BZZZZZZ" Seth's alarmed clock rang. He quickly sat up in his bed and turned it of. His head was pounding as he recalled last night's dinner with the Robert's family.

"It was horrible." Seth recalled, picking up Captain Oats. "What's that Captain Oats? Yeah, I know…Rage blackouts for sure today." Seth moaned. "Maybe I should just skip school and tell the folks I'm sick."

Seth got out of bed and put on his robe. "If I'm not back in ten minutes…You know why." He told Captain Oats as he placed him down on his nightstand. 

Sandy and Kirsten were in the kitchen talking over coffee at the kitchen table, when Seth came in. Seth held his stomach and moaned. "Mom, Dad…I think I caught the flu or something…Uh…" Seth sat down at the kitchen table with them.

Kirsten pulled out her hand and checked Seth's forehead. "You're not hot."

"Mom, are you accusing me of lying." He asked.

"Honey, you look perfectly fine to me." Kirsten replied, looking at Sandy. 

"Oh no…" Seth scrambled to the nearest bathroom, in hopes to convince his parents he was sick. He grabbed a plastic cup from the dispenser, filled it with water and then splashed it into the toilet bowl, while making harsh vomiting noises. 

"Seth?" Sandy knocked on the bathroom door. "You need a hand in there?"

"Uh…No, I'm good. Just a little sick." Seth said and then opened the door.

"Here." He handed Seth two aspirins. "Take these and go get some rest." Seth took the pills from his dad and washed them down with water. "No video games!" Sandy shouted out to Seth, as he made his way back up to his room.

Sandy walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Kirsten.

Kirsten glanced at the poolhouse from the kitchen window and said, "Ryan's not up." She eyed the clock on the wall. "He's usually the one waking us all up."

"I'll go check on him. Maybe he has what Seth has." Sandy said and then left the kitchen. He made his way over to the poolhouse and knocked at the glass door. "Ryan?" He shouted.

Ryan eyes flew open. He realized he was still in the same clothes he wore last night. He quickly got up and regretted it. His head pounded and his stomach turned. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Sandy opened the door and walked in. "Ryan?"

Ryan sat by the toilet throwing up all he could from last night's drinking festivities.

Sandy knocked at the bathroom door. "You sick, Ryan?" He asked.

"Uh…Yeah." Ryan replied, wiping his mouth. He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He was pale.

"Seth's been throwing up too. Must be a virus that is going around." Sandy said through the bathroom door. "I have some aspirin if you want. You can stay home today and catch up on some rest. I'll call the school."

Ryan was relived. "Okay, sure…Yeah." Ryan ran the taps and washed his face. He then sat on the closet toilet, waiting for Sandy to leave, but he wasn't leaving.

"Maybe I should stay home today…Get you boys to a doctor." Sandy said.

"Uh…No, I'll be fine." Ryan replied. "Go to work. It's okay, I'm fine."

"Okay, just make sure you get some rest. I'll see you later." Sandy said and then left the poolhouse.

Ryan unlocked the bathroom door and walked over to his bed, flopping down on it. Ryan laid there until nine o'clock, making sure Kirsten and Sandy were gone to work. He then got dressed and headed into the house to find Seth playing Playstation.

Seth was sitting on the floor in his robe on, playing a viscous game of Tony Hawk Pro Skater:4. He hadn't noticed Ryan walk into the house.

"So you sick or something?" Ryan asked walking into the den.

Seth jumped. "Holy shit, Ryan." He paused the game. "You scared me to death…For a second I thought you were my dad. So, why aren't you at school?" Seth asked.

"Sick, like you." Ryan replied and then took a seat on the sofa.

"Oh really?" Seth laughed. "Well, I'm not really sick."

"Neither am I…Just hung over." Ryan admitted, grabbing the second player controller. "So, you up for some competition?"

"Hung over?" Seth repeated. "Please do share."

"Luke and I went to this club last night. Things got out of hand and I ended up getting kicked out…Had a little too much beer and tequila." Ryan replied. "So, why are you home?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, uh, I'd rather not be the object of Summer's rage blackouts." Seth said, scratching his head. "There was no way I was going to get my ass kicked by a girl at school today."

"Right, you had that dinner thing last night with her parents. How did that go?" Ryan grinned at him. Seth tried to give him the 'Ryan' glare. "It went that bad?" 

Seth threw his hands in the air. "She told me to be myself. So, that's what I did…It was horrible, Ryan. I have multiple bruises on my ass to prove it." Seth muttered, as he shifted on the ground. "You see, Ryan…Not only did I humiliate myself by rambling on and on about comic books…I ended up being the dummy for Mr. Roberts' wrestling moves he wanted to show me." Ryan started laughing. "Summer was so pissed at me. I doubt she'll ever forgive me. I think her Dad hates me."

"Who gives what her Dad thinks, Seth. You like her. And I'm sure she won't hold that against you. She was the one that told you to be yourself…So it's kind of her fault." Ryan stated and starting laughing again.

"Very, funny…" Seth mumbled.

"Sorry." Ryan was near tears. "I just haven't laughed in awhile." He held his stomach and moaned. "Shit…I think I'm going to be sick." Ryan ran to the bathroom and threw up.

"Dude, look who's laughing now." Seth shouted out to him, laughing. "Hey, maybe we can put a little Seth/Ryan time on the books today?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

****


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty Five 

__

"But if everything that happens is supposed to be   
And it is predetermined, can't change your destiny.   
I guess I'll just keep moving and someday, maybe, I'll get to where I'm going….  
Yeah, I know I should be brave  
But I'm just too afraid of all this change.  
And it's hard to focus through all this doubt.   
I keep making this "To Do" list but nothing gets crossed out."

Nothing gets Crossed Out – Bright Eyes

Friday had finally rolled around the corner and Ryan couldn't wait for school to end. He knew he wouldn't be going anywhere all weekend because he was still grounded from when he took off to Chino and didn't tell anyone. Sandy and Kirsten never found out that Ryan had gotten drunk with Luke on Wednesday night. 

Ryan sat in his French class half-listening to his teacher. He was never really into French at his old high school, but he had promised Sandy and Kirsten that he would take it, only because Seth was taking it. Seth was in his class and he sat next to him. All morning Seth was trying to ignore Summer. Seth succeeded of missing school yesterday with the 'flu', but today, Sandy and Kirsten wasn't going to let him stay home again.

"Hey." Seth whispered. "Do you think maybe we can go somewhere for lunch besides the cafeteria?" He asked.

"We don't have a car." Ryan replied.

Seth sighed. "Okay, well then do you want to come with me to the library at lunch?"

"Seth, I don't think it's a good idea to ignore Summer. It could get ugly, you know." Ryan replied. "Just talk to her."

"Right." Seth nodded his head. "Talk to her. That's easy."

The school bell rang, signaling lunch hour.

"So library?" Seth asked again and then stood up and grabbed his books.

Ryan frowned at him. "Talk to her, Seth."

"If for some odd reason I don't meet up with you after school in the quad…You know why." Seth replied and then walked away from Ryan and disappeared into the crowd in the hallway. 

Ryan went to his locker and dropped off his books. He grabbed his lunch and made his way over to the cafeteria. He spotted Summer and Luke sitting down at a table in the caf and went over and sat down with them.

"Hey. Where were you in class today?" Ryan asked Luke.

"I was late this morning." Luke replied and then asked, "What happened yesterday? Did you get caught?" 

"Get caught for what?" Summer asked.

Ryan ignored her. "No, I didn't. They thought I had the flu."

"Sweet deal." Luke commented and then added. "So, guess who I hooked up with last night?" He asked and Ryan shrugged. "Chelsea."

Ryan choked on his food and Summer asked, "Who's Chelsea?"

Both Ryan and Luke ignored her.

"She's going to find out you're still in high school and then you'll look like an ass." Ryan said. "You're setting yourself up for a disaster."

"Oh, but I get so much out of it. And the sex…Shit." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Ew!" Summer exclaimed, picking up her bag and standing up. "I don't know what you boys are talking about and I don't want to know." She turned to Ryan. "Have you seen Seth?"

"Uh, I saw him earlier and I think he said he was going to the library." Ryan replied. He thought Seth would have talked to her. He told him that he would.

"The library?" Summer repeated. "Typical!" She said and then walked off.

"What's that all about?" Luke asked.

"Seth had dinner with her Dad and her step-mother two nights ago and he pretty much made a fool out of himself." Ryan explained. "He's been keeping a low profile."

"Ah, I see." Luke said. Marissa then came walking up to the table and sat down with them.

"Hey guys." Marissa said and then took out her lunch. "So, Ryan I was thinking maybe this weekend we could get together. I'm staying at my Mom's house all weekend."

Ryan shrugged. This 'friends' thing was a little awkward for him. He knew she still loved him and it made him nervous. "I'm grounded." Ryan replied and then bit into his sandwich. 

"Oh, well I'm sure we'll see each other at some point or another." She smiled at him and Ryan smiled back at her. "Well, I should go. See you boys later." She said and then left.

"That was weird." Luke commented. "You two are just friends now, right?"

Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, it's weird. We were never friends in the first place so it's kind of awkward…If you know what I mean."

"Totally."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth sat down at the vacant table in the back of library. He had told Ryan that he would talk to Summer, but once he got to the cafeteria he had chickened out. He wasn't sure what to say to her and he didn't want Summer to get mad at him over his behavior from the other night. 

Seth pulled out his Biology textbook and started working on his lab report. He knew he would be seeing Summer soon because they had Biology together. As he was jotting down his conclusion in his lab report he saw Summer coming towards him. Seth looked back down at his Biology textbook and pretended to study it.

"Cohen." Summer said and then sat down across the table from him. "Are you ignoring me?" She asked.

Seth looked up from his textbook. "Oh, uh, hey Summer. No, I'm not ignoring you. I'm just finishing up on some Biology homework."

"Right. So, where were you yesterday?" She asked.

"I was sick. Did I miss anything in Bio?" He asked casually.

Summer shook her head. "No, it was nothing but note taking." Summer reached over the table and shut Seth's textbook. "Look, I know you're trying to hide from me. I know you too well."

"Summer, I – "

Summer interrupted him. "Cohen, you're a…a geek and a total spaz." She admitted to him. Seth frowned at her. "But, I knew that before I started dating you. Sure, the other night you made a complete ass of yourself in front of my Father and totally embarrassed me, but I don't care."

"You don't?" Seth asked. He was a little bit surprised.

"Nope." She said and then bit down on her lip. "My Father's a complete jackass, anyway. I don't care what he says about you, I know I like you, Seth."

"Uh, I like you too, Summer." Seth replied, unsure of how this conversation was going. Five minutes ago he was expecting a rage black out, but now he didn't know what to expect. "So, you're not mad at me?" Seth asked her to make sure.

"I just told you I wasn't. Cohen, do you not listen?" Summer replied. "Whatever. Let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starved!"

Seth gathered up his books and followed Summer down to the cafeteria. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It was after supper and Ryan was in the den, watching T.V and listening to Seth ramble on and on about Summer. He wasn't really listening to him. He just kept on making sure he nodded his head occasionally and asked a few questions. Sandy and Kirsten had decided to go to a movie tonight, so the boys had the place all to themselves. Ryan wasn't supposed to be watching T.V. Sandy had told him to stay put in the poolhouse and do his homework. As if that would happen, Ryan thought to himself, as he was watching another re-run of 'That 70's Show'.

"Dude, are you even listening to me?" Seth questioned.

"Not really, Seth. I get it…You and Summer are cool now and you're happy. I'm happy that you're happy." 

"Okay…" Seth replied. Maybe he was talking a bit too much about himself, and not enough about others, so he asked Ryan, "So how's the arm?"

"Great." Ryan said, in his monosyllable mood. 

"So, good enough to play some Playstation?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Ryan replied and then turned on the Playstation. "Tony Hawk?" He asked.

"Nah, you're getting too good at that one. How about the Dave Mirra game." Seth replied. Ryan popped in the Dave Mirra BMX game and starting playing. "Damnit, you've been practicing at this one too." Seth commented and then the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." He paused the game and got up.

Ryan went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of juice and then went back into the den. Seth came back into the den with Marissa.

"Hey, Ryan." Marissa said. "I thought maybe we could hang out…My Mom decided to go out tonight and Caitlin's sleeping over at a friends house." Marissa explained and then sat down next to him on the couch. "What are you guys playing?"

"Dave Mirra." Seth answered, returning to the game.

"Here, you want to play?" Ryan asked.

"No, I'll watch." Marissa replied.

The doorbell than rang again and Seth paused the game. "Crap, what is it with the visitors today?" He got up and answered the door.

"So, how are you?" Marissa asked Ryan.

"Fine, you? How are things with your Mom?" Ryan asked.

"Good."

Seth then game back into the den with Summer.

"Hey Coop, hey Ryan." Summer greeted them and then sat down next to Seth on the couch.

"Hey Sum, what are you doing here?" Marissa asked.

"Bored out of my mind." Summer replied and then turned to Seth. "Do you really have to play Playstation?" She asked. "Come on, let's go up to your room." She stood up and dragged him off the couch.

"Later." Seth shouted out to Ryan.

"So…" Ryan said.

"This is weird, isn't it?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah." Ryan admitted. He didn't know how to act around her. He felt uncomfortable. "Did you want to uh, go back to the poolhouse? I don't want Sandy or Kirsten walking in on me with a visitor. I'm not even supposed to be in the den anyway."

"Sure." Marissa followed him into the poolhouse. Somehow it looked different to her than before. Maybe it was because before the poolhouse was their hideout place to make out. Not anymore though, she thought to herself. 

"Drink?" Ryan asked, opening his mini fridge.

"Water's good." Marissa replied. Ryan handed her a bottle of water and then went over to his bed and sat down. Marissa walked around the poolhouse looking around. "I didn't know you were into this kind of music." Marissa said, picking up a Bright Eyes CD off his desk.

"I'm not really into them. Seth keeps on leaving his CD's in here." 

"Oh." Marissa replied, picking up a tape recorder. "What this?" She flashed it in front of him.

"Nothing." Ryan got up from the bed and tried to take it from her. "Marissa, give it to me." He said.

Marissa hid the tape recorder behind her back and laughed at him. "Why do you have Luke's dad's tape recorder?" She asked.

"How do you know it's his?" Ryan questioned. 

"Because his name is on the back of it." Marissa replied. "What's on it?" She asked again.

"Nothing."

"Well then if it's nothing…" Ryan tried to take it from her again. "If it's nothing, like you say it is, then I'll just listen to it."

"Marissa, you can't." Ryan told her. "I don't want you to."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because…"

"Because?" Marissa moved away from him and started to rewind the tape.

"Look, Marissa…" Ryan began and Marissa pressed play. "Don't…"

Oliver's voice filled the poolhouse. "Fuck you, Ryan. Fuck you…."

Ryan's voice came on now, "Put the gun down, man. This is not the way things are supposed to be. Put the gun down and we'll talk things over."

"Fuck you, Ryan. You don't know Marissa, like I do. You and Marissa aren't meant for each other. It's fate." Oliver repeated. "It's fate. Once I'm gone she'll do the same. She loves me. She doesn't love you. She told me that…. You're nothing but leftover's. Face it Ryan…face reality…. Do you think she would care if you were to die right now? I mean, come on, Ryan…nobody cares about you…do you really think the Cohen's do? You're just some fucked up charity case…. And Marissa told me about your family…. Now that's another story, isn't it Ryan? Your nothing but leftover's" Oliver repeated. "Leftover shit…that people pity…."

"Fuck you, Oliver…." Ryan said and then they heard two gunshots' go off in the background.

"Marissa will be with me…. She loves me…its fate…We're fate…." And then another gunshot went of and the tape stopped.

Marissa stood in the middle of the poolhouse frozen. She dropped the tape recorder on the ground and then collapsed to the ground herself. "Oh my God." She repeated over and over. Ryan went over to her and knelt down. Marissa started to cry.

"It's okay, Marissa." Ryan held her close.

She looked up and him with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Ryan – I didn't – I – Oh my God." She burrowed her face into his shoulder.

"It's okay." Ryan told her again. 

"No, it's not." Marissa looked up at him. "I didn't know about any of that. I'm sorry, Ryan. You don't know how sorry I am. None of that is true, Ryan!" Marissa explained. "He was sick. You were right about him all along and I'm sorry I put you through that. You didn't deserve that."

Ryan let go of her and went back over to his bed. "He's right, Marissa." Ryan whispered. "I'm leftover's…The Cohen's, they just feel sorry for me."

Marissa walked over to him on the bed and sat down next to him. "How could you say that, Ryan? They love you just as much as they love Seth. And you're not leftover's. Far from it."

Ryan shrugged. 

"Ryan, I love you and you're not leftover's!"

"God!" Ryan yelled at her and stood up. "I love you?" He mimicked. "Why is it you always try to cheer me up by saying 'I love you'? Huh?" He questioned.

"Because it's the truth, Ryan. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." Marissa replied.

"Sorry…" Ryan mumbled and then sat back down next to her. "I don't know anymore…About us."

"It doesn't matter to me, Ryan. I just want you to know that you're not some charity case that the Cohen's feel sorry for. I hope you understand that."

Ryan shook his head. "Can we just not talk about this whole Oliver thing again? I'm getting real tired of it and it's screwing up my head every time I think about it."

"Okay." Marissa said, rubbing him on the back. "Did you want me to leave?" She asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No, stay." He didn't want her to leave. She was comforting to him right now. "We can just lay here and talk…"

"Ryan Atwood? Talk?" Marissa laughed. Ryan glared at her. "Sorry."

The two of them lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Ryan ended up talking about Luke and his new 'project' Chelsea. They talked for over an hour and fell asleep next to each other.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty Six

**__**

"I hate to say I love you 

Because it means that I will be 

With your forever 

Or we'll sadly say goodbye" 

Ground on down – Ben Harper

Ryan woke up the next morning lying next to Marissa on his bed in the poolhouse. His face was in her hair, with his arm wrapped around her waist. At first he thought he was dreaming, but then he remember he had fallen asleep last night when he was talking to her. He wondered if Julie was going to go berserk on Marissa when she returned home. Julie still didn't like him, even after everything that has happened. You'd think she would at least try to like him, but she didn't. And Ryan didn't mind at all because he wasn't with Marissa right now.

Ryan removed his arm from around her waist and sat up in his bed. He scratched his sleepy eyes and then lay back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He thoughts wandered back over to the tape recorder. He wished Marissa hadn't of heard it and he regretted not throwing out the tape. He only kept the tape because he thought of it as a gateway out of Newport. As much as he hated Oliver and what he did to him, he believed Oliver. He wasn't meant for Newport, but Ryan also knew that he wasn't meant for Chino either. He didn't know where he belonged right now.

Ryan thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the poolhouse door. Without waiting for any reply, Sandy walked into the poolhouse.

"Ryan, I thought maybe – Marissa?" Sandy looked over to her sleeping body next to Ryan. "Ryan, you know you're grounded."

Ryan got off the bed and away from Marissa. "Sandy, truly, she came over last night and we just fell asleep talking."

"Right." Sandy grinned at him. "But, you know darn well that you were grounded."

"Sorry. It won't happen again." Ryan replied.

"Better not. Well, she better go home before Julie Cooper comes over here and causes trouble for you. Then I want you in kitchen, okay?" Sandy asked.

Ryan nodded his head and Sandy left the poolhouse.

Marissa turned over on her side and looked up at Ryan. "Sorry." She yawned and then got up. "I didn't mean to get you into any more trouble."

"It's okay, we fell asleep…That's all." Ryan blushed. "Well, you better get home before…" Ryan trailed off.

"Gotcha." Marissa smiled at him and walked over towards the door. "We'll talk later, okay?"

Ryan nodded his head and waved her a goodbye. He put on a pair of socks and then headed inside of the Cohen's kitchen. 

Seth and Summer were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table, each eating a bowl of cereal.

"'Morning, Ryan!" Summer said, as Ryan took a seat across from her at the table.

"Summer…What are you doing here?" Ryan asked. He took the box of Captain Crunch and started eating out of it.

"Oh, well, last night, Seth and I fell asleep and yeah…" Summer replied and then looked at her watch. "I should really get going. Not that my dad would notice I wasn't home last night, but my stepmother would know and she'll rant and rave about stuff she doesn't know about…So, I'll save her the trouble of it and leave now." She explained and then kissed Seth. "Call me." She said and then left.

Seth watched her leave with a smile plastered on his face. He then turned to Ryan and said, "I hope you're learning something here, Ryan." He laughed. "Ah, what a great night." He leaned back in his seat and almost fell over.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one who had a girl in his room last night." Ryan commented.

"You had a girl in the poolhouse last night? A hooker?" Seth joked.

Ryan threw some cereal at him and Seth caught some and ate it. 

"Marissa ended up staying. We fell asleep and then your Dad walked in on us this morning and yeah…I think I might be in some trouble." Ryan replied.

"Welcome aboard to my boat, Ryan. Dad walked in on Summer and I this morning, too. We weren't making out or anything…But she was topless and under my covers, so that didn't go over as well as I had planned it would go."

"Damn." Ryan laughed. "So, where is your dad now?"

"Oh, who knows. Probably planning some mass punishment for the both of us. Or even worse…I bet he's – "

Sandy walked into the kitchen and Seth stopped talking. "Boys! Where are the ladies?" Sandy joked.

"Ladies? If you mean Mom, I think she's upstairs." Seth tried to play stupid. 

"Seth." Sandy scowled. "Do you see me laughing?" 

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Seth!" Sandy yelled at him.

Seth threw his hands up in the air. "Okay, okay! Summer's gone, Dad." He said and then asked Ryan, "Are those eyebrows scaring you? 'Cause they're really starting to scare me."

Ryan shook his head, trying hard not to laugh.

Sandy sat down at the table next to Seth. "Okay, boys, we have a situation here." Both Seth and Ryan nodded their heads. "Ryan, you were grounded last night and Seth, you know girls aren't allowed here when we're not home."

"They're not?" Seth asked. 

"No, I thought I told you that before."

"Well, I've never had a girlfriend before Summer, or an actual real friend before Ryan."

"Seth, that's besides the point. The point is, those girls slept over last night. And I don't allow that." Sandy turned to Ryan. "You're no longer grounded, Ryan."

"I'm not grounded?" Ryan repeated. "I'm not in trouble?"

"He's not grounded?" Seth asked in disbelief.

"Oh, believe me, both of you are in trouble, which is why I'm both giving you part time jobs. You know, to fill in the extra time on the weekends. And hey," Sandy laughed. "I'll be there to watch you, too. You'll be working at the Lighthouse."

"I thought you didn't want me having a part time job? You made me quit the Crab Shack once I started school."

"Yeah, what about school?" Seth added. "If we have part time jobs our grades could go down." Seth said and then whispered. "And we all know that's bad, don't we?"

"If you're grades slip, it won't be because of your job. You'll be working on the weekends, not during the week." Sandy replied and then turned to Ryan and said, "You're getting into more trouble on the weekends, so I think a job will be good for you."

"Hey, how come I have to have a job? I know Ryan feels bad about taking your money, but I don't." Seth added.

"Seth, it doesn't work like that. I'm the parent, I make up the rules."

"Where's Mom?" Seth asked.

"She's at the lighthouse right now with Jimmy, helping him set things up. Tonight is the opening night and you two are going to be on your best behavior."

"We don't have to work tonight, do we?" Ryan asked.

"No, not tonight." Sandy replied. "Starting next Friday night, you both will be working, understand?"

Seth and Ryan nodded their heads and Sandy walked away, pleased at how the conversation went.

Seth scratched away at his Jew-Fro. "I would have rather had a weeks grounding…. Hey, even a month's grounding," Seth moaned. "I can't believe I'll be working for my own Dad. You know how bad that looks? It will be like Mom and Grandpa. Those two hate each other now."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Seth. Think of it this way…You get to eat free food." Ryan added.

"It was free before I started working there." Seth stated.

"Well…I don't mind. It's better than being grounded."

"Maybe." Seth replied. "Well, I'm going to go call Summer and ask if she wants to come to the Grand Opening of the Lighthouse. Are you going to bring a date?" Seth asked.

Ryan shrugged.

"You can invite a friend…Hey, how about Marissa?" Seth asked. "Or you know, you can always ask Luke. But, with his Dad being gay…It might look bad, if you know what I mean, man."

"I don't know." Ryan replied. "Maybe I'll just go solo."

"Whatever, Dude." Seth said, leaving the kitchen.

Ryan sat at the kitchen table and contemplated on going over to Julie Cooper's house and asking Marissa out to the Grand Opening of the Lighthouse, as a friend though. He went back to the poolhouse and got dressed and then decided to call Luke.

"Hello?" Luke answered the phone.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey…What's up?" Luke asked.

"Nothing. Are you coming to the Grand Opening of the Lighthouse?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, Kirsten invited my Mom and the rest of the family. Are you going?"

"Yeah, I have to. Are you bringing anyone?" 

"Well, I was thinking of asking Chelsea." Luke replied.

"Luke, don't do that! She thinks you're like twenty something. Sandy and Kirsten know her and you'll for sure get caught." Ryan yelled at him. Luke hesitated over the phone. "You already asked her, didn't you?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. It kind of slipped out. I mean, things were getting hot and she wanted to get together with me tonight, but I told her I had this party to go to and I couldn't just tell her she couldn't go." Luke replied. "Shit." He mumbled. "I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"Yeah." Ryan replied. "But, don't worry. Just keep a low profile."

"We live in Newport." Luke stated.

"Right." 

"Well, maybe if I call her now and tell her I've had a change in plans…"

"Yeah, do that. I'll see you at the party, then. And you better be solo."

"Oh, I will be." Luke replied and than hung up the phone.

Ryan put down his phone and walked outside. He went to the side of the house and looked down at Marissa house. He was still contemplating on asking her to the party. 

He walked down the Cohen's driveway and then up Julie Copper's driveway.

He knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened.

"Ryan, what a surprise. Can I help you with anything?" Julie asked.

"Is Marissa here?" Ryan asked.

"I'm afraid not. She just left with Summer. They're at the mall looking for an outfit for tonight's event. Can I help you with anything?" Julie asked.

"Uh…No." Ryan said and then left.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

A/N: It's sooooooo hard to tie things up with this story without drama and angst, so here goes. I'm not sure how many more chapter it will take to end this story, maybe a few more. It's too addictive. Ah, okay…On with the story.

****

Chapter Twenty Seven

"As I'm talking my words slip to the floor  
and they crawl through your legs and slide under the back door  
rendering me freakish and dazed.  
Well here I am. I don't know how to say this.  
The only thing I know is awkward silence.  
Your eyelids close when you're around me to shut me out."

Freakish – Saves the Day  


Ryan stood in the middle of the poolhouse, dressed in his suit for tonight's big opening of the Lighthouse. He glanced at himself in the mirror and was pleased with his excellent tie work. He had finally mastered at doing up his own tie. With all the Newport events he went to, he had to master it at some time or another.

Seth came barging through the poolhouse door, dressed in his casual appearance. "Dude, that look for you is very minty."

"Minty?" Ryan replied. He went over to the bathroom and sprayed on some cologne. "So, why aren't you dressed?" He asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be dressed soon, _Mom_." Seth rolled his eyes. "So, are you bringing anyone? Say, maybe a girl named Marissa."

"Tonight, it's just going to be me, myself and I. I thought I told you I wasn't ready for a relationship."

"Yeah, but, you're Ryan Atwood and Ryan Atwood always has the ladies after him. You two did sleep together last night, didn't you?" Seth asked. He was over at Ryan's desk snooping through his CD's.

"We didn't sleep together, Seth. We just fell asleep together."

"Same thing." Seth replied. He picked up a Bright Eyes CD off of Ryan's desk. "Hey, this is where my CD went. If you wanted to borrow it, Ryan, you could have at least asked me."

Ryan rolled his eyes at Seth. "Seth, you were the one that left it here. I don't even like them."

"What do you like?" Seth joked.

"Not them." He walked over to Seth and grabbed his arm. "Out." He dragged him across the poolhouse and kicked him out. "Go get dressed."

"The parents have got to you too!" Seth exclaimed. "What happened to world domination?!"

Ryan ignored him. "Hurry and up and get dressed, Seth. We have to be there in less than an hour." 

With his Bright Eyes CD in his hand, Seth made his way back into the house. He climbed the stairs up to his room and changed into his suit. He hated wearing suits. He felt as though he was a clone. Bred into Newport, at his parent's expense. He sprayed on his cologne and went back downstairs to find Ryan waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Ready?" Ryan asked.

"Where are the parents?" 

"Your Mom and Dad are already there. You were with me when they told us we had to drive ourselves to the Lighthouse." Ryan replied, annoyed with Seth.

"Must have slipped my mind." Seth grabbed the Range Rover keys off of the counter. "Oh, I have to pick up Summer." He added, as they made their way into the Range Rover. 

Once they picked up Summer, they drove to the Lighthouse.

"Whoa. Your dad and Jimmy Cooper did a great job with this place!" Summer exclaimed, as she scanned the restaurant for Marissa. She spotted her by the bar. "I'm going to go talk to Coop!" She said and then walked off.

"Who's that with Luke?" Seth asked, pointing over to the dessert bar.

"Shit." Ryan mumbled. "No one." He walked away from Seth to go talk to Luke."

"Great." Seth mumbled to himself, as he took a seat at one of the vacant tables.

Ryan walked up to Luke and his date, Chelsea, who shouldn't be here. 

"Hey, man." Ryan said, glaring at him. He turned to Chelsea and smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hey, Ryan. How are you?" She asked, referring to his arm.

Ryan wished that people would stop asking him about his arm. He knew she was his physiotherapist, but they weren't in her office. "Good." He replied. "Luke, can we talk?" He asked.

Luke let go of Chelsea's hand. "Sure, _Cuz_. I'll be back, babe." He followed Ryan outside to the patio. "What's up?" He asked.

"What the hell is she doing here, Luke?" Ryan yelled at him. "Don't you think it's a little risky? You've got Kirsten and Sandy, who know her and on top of that, Luke, your Mom is here!"

"Chill, Ryan. Don't worry. You're always uptight. Just relax." Luke laughed at him.

"Hey, what are you guys doing out here?" Marissa asked, stepping outside.

"Getting a little fresh air." Luke replied and then whispered to Ryan, "Don't worry." He then walked away from him and left him outside with Marissa.

"So, did you get in trouble?" Marissa asked, referring to their unexpected sleepover.

Ryan shook his head. "Not really. Sandy's making me work here on the weekends."

"That's cool." Marissa replied. She didn't know what to say to him. There was an awkward silence between them. "Are you okay?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know. You were pretty upset last night about the tape recorder and I thought that maybe – "

Ryan cut her off. "Can we not talk about the tape recorder? We're at a party…Let's enjoy it." Ryan said, fidgeting with his tie.

"I know, Ryan, but are we ever going to talk about it? I mean, if it's making you like this then I think you need to talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about." Ryan spat at her.

Seth walked out of the restaurant and onto the patio. "Hey guys, we're all ordering our food."

Marissa ignored him. "Ryan, you can't just ignore what Oliver said about you on that tape recorder. It's clear that it's upsetting you and we need to talk about it."

"Marissa." Ryan tried to stop her.

She raised up her hand. "Ryan, I'm your friend and friends talk about things that are bothering them."

Ryan was furious. Who was she to say such a thing? Ryan had tried to talk to her about Oliver countless times, but no, she never listened to him and now all of a sudden she wanted to listen? "Well, then maybe we shouldn't be friends!" He yelled at her.

Marissa's eyes glistened with tears. "Maybe." She whispered and then ran past Seth and into the restaurant.

Seth watched Marissa storm off and then turned back to Ryan. "Uh…What just happened?" He asked.

"Nothing." Ryan shouted at Seth and then stormed off into the restaurant. He went straight to the bathroom.

Seth shook his head and went back inside the restaurant. He went over to the table where his parents were sitting, and where Summer and Marissa were supposed to be sitting, but they weren't there.

"Seth, where's Ryan, Marissa and Summer?" Sandy asked, as Seth sat down opposite of him.

"Bathroom?" Seth guessed.

Sandy nodded his head and turned to Kirsten. "I hope you're ordering my Mother's meatloaf and not Jimmy's." He joked.

Kirsten laughed, "You know I'll order your mothers."

Ryan stood in the men's bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. He was starting to feel sick. His stomach was tossing and turning, as he recollected his conversation with Marissa. Man, she was really pissing him off lately. All she ever wanted to do was talk to him about their relationship and Oliver. Oliver, Ryan thought to himself. If it weren't for that damn bastard, things would be normal. He would be living happily ever after with the Cohen's and he'd be still dating Marissa.

Ryan flushed his face with water and then left the bathroom. He spotted the Cohen's sitting at a table along with Jimmy Cooper, Marissa and Summer. All of them had already ordered their food. He sat down next to Kirsten and away from Marissa. He could tell that she had been crying.

"Where have you been, Ryan?" Sandy asked.

"Bathroom." Ryan replied, ignoring Seth's stare.

"We've already ordered, but don't worry, Sandy ordered you his Mother's meatloaf." Kirsten said.

Ryan nodded his head. "Thanks."

The food came and they all devoured it. They all had either Sandy's mother's meatloaf or Jimmy's mother's meatloaf. Ryan ate his meatloaf in silence, ignoring Seth's stares and Marissa's glances. He had hardly eaten anything, when the food decided it wasn't going to stay down. He pushed his plate back and threw his napkin down over the meatloaf.

"Are you feeling okay, Ryan?" Kirsten asked.

Marissa glanced over at Ryan and they made eye contact.

"Fine." Ryan smiled at her. "Just full. It's great, though."

Once the dinner was done, dessert came and Ryan took a pass on it. He watched on as the rest of the gang ate their Chocolate volcano cakes, or cheesecakes. After dessert, there was a bit of dancing and some chitchat. Ryan retreated outside to the patio and sat down, breathing in the cool fresh air. He wished he had a cigarette on him right now. He really needed one.

He looked through the patio doors and saw Luke dancing away with Chelsea. He knew he would never understand Luke. The song stopped playing and Luke caught Ryan's stare and then came outside.

"Shit, Ryan…You have no clue what you're missing in there." Luke said, eyeing Chelsea at the bar.

Ryan didn't say anything.

"I saw Marissa crying earlier. What's up?" Luke asked, sitting down next to Ryan.

"We were fighting over the tape recorder." Ryan replied, not realizing that Luke didn't know about the conversation that he had with Oliver before he shot himself.

"Tape recorder?" Luke asked.

"It's nothing, really. She just wants something out of me. Something I can't give her right now." Ryan safely replied.

Luke nodded his head in agreement. "Come on back inside with me." Luke got up. Ryan got up and followed him back inside the lighthouse.

"You okay, Ryan? You look a little pale." Chelsea commented.

"No, I'm fine." Ryan replied. He glanced over at Sandy and Kirsten, who were coming their way. "Luke, uh, come here." Ryan pulled him away from Chelsea and walked towards Sandy and Kirsten.

"Boys, are you having fun?" Sandy asked.

"Tons." Luke replied. "This place is chillin'."

Sandy bobbed his head and took a sip of his wine. "Chillin'. Just the answer I was looking forward too."

"Hey, isn't that Chelsea, Ryan's physiotherapist?" Kirsten asked, pointing behind Ryan and Luke. Ryan quickly closed the gap between him and Luke. Kirsten tried to look over past their broad shoulders.

"Chelsea? Here?" Ryan asked. "Why would she be here?"

"Yeah, that's not Chelsea." Luke said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! I think it is Chelsea." Sandy said. "Ryan, did you invite her?" He asked.

Ryan shot Luke his glare. "Yeah." He faked a laugh. "I guess I did."

Both Sandy and Kirsten left the boys and walked over to Chelsea.

"Chelsea, it's great to see you. I'm glad you could join us for such an event!" Sandy shook her hand.

"Mr. Cohen, this place is spectacular!" Chelsea commented. "And I loved your mother's meatloaf." She added.

Both Luke and Ryan watched on from a far distance.

"So, are you here with anyone?" Kirsten asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm here with my boyfriend, Luke Ward." She replied and then took a sip of her drink. "There he is, right there." He pointed to him. "Come here, Luke!"

"Luke? You're going out with Luke Ward?" Kirsten repeated. Luke came up to them and stood next to Chelsea.

"Do you know him?" Chelsea asked, wrapping herself around Luke's waist.

"Why, of course we do! He's one of Ryan's friends." Sandy replied. 

"I thought you two were cousins?" Chelsea asked Luke.

Luke turned several shades of red. "Uh…no?" He looked passed Sandy and Kirsten and saw Ryan standing there shaking his head at him.

"No?" Chelsea let go of him. "Why did you tell me that then?"

"Well…you see…um…" Luke stuttered. "I – I…well…"

Chelsea than realized what was going on. "Wait a minute here. You're one of Ryan's friends? You're still in high school?" She asked.

Luke didn't say anything.

"Luke!" She yelled at him and then slapped him. "How could you lie to me like this!" Sandy and Kirsten looked on in shock. Ryan couldn't help but watch on and say 'I told you so.' "This is so embarrassing!" She stormed off and left the restaurant.

Luke rubbed his cheek and walked away from the Cohen's.

"Told you so." Ryan mumbled to Luke, as they both walked off.

Luke ignored him. "Do you think anyone saw?" He asked.

Ryan looked around. "Yeah, I think you're mom saw."

Luke looked over at his mom, who was staring at him. "Yeah, she saw. Oh well, I mean, it was fun while it lasted. The sex was great and – "

"Luke." Ryan stopped him. "I don't need to know that. She's my physiotherapist!"

"Yeah, she's great at her job, isn't she?" Luke joked.

"Shut up." Ryan said. "You want to get out of here?" He asked.

"Hell yeah, now that she's gone." Luke replied.

They managed to slip away from everyone and get their jackets from the coat check. As they walked over to Luke's truck, they heard Seth shouting out Ryan's name.

"RYAN!" Seth yelled out to him. He caught up with them and bent down. He was defiantly out of shape. He breathed in the fresh air and then stood up. "Mom and Dad are mad and want you back in the Lighthouse."

"Mad? What did I do?" Ryan asked.

"You're leaving." Seth stated and then turned to Luke. "I heard about you and Ryan's physiotherapist. That was real classy." He commented.

Luke shoved Seth. "At least I got some action!"

"Right." Seth frowned. "Okay, well, are you coming back or not?" Seth asked Ryan.

Ryan sighed. "Do I have a choice?" Seth shook his head. "I'll see you later, Luke." He said and then went back into the Lighthouse with Seth. Luke got into his truck and drove off.

"So, Summer told me about the tape recorder." Seth said, walking into the Lighthouse.

"What?" Ryan stopped dead in his tracks. "How does she know?" He asked.

"Well, Marissa and Summer are best friends and Summer does have a big mouth. I also, kind of, forced Summer to tell me." Seth shot up his finger at Ryan to stop him from talking. "But, that was only because I was worried about you. Which, I am." 

"Don't be. Why does everyone have to worry about everything?" Ryan asked.

Seth ignored his question. "Are you okay? I mean, I know Oliver is…is dead and it's over but like if it's true what he said over the tape recorder. Saying that you were some charity case, then, I mean, you must feel like crap, right?"

Ryan face grew with rage. "Yeah, well, maybe I am, Seth." He turned around and headed outside. Seth called out to him, but he ignored him and continued walking away.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

****

Chapter Twenty Eight

"You're better off without me

At least that's what I'll say

Cause it depends on the life if I'm suicidal tonight

On the outside looking in

My self-destructive criticism is my only fight

Cause I don't play to win"

Complex – Steven's Team 

Seth and Summer sat in front of the TV in the den, playing a vicious game of Tony Hawk Pro Skater Four. Believe it or not, Seth was losing terribly. He wasn't sure if it was the lack of his thumb use, or the fact that he wasn't really paying much attention to the game. He had other things on his mind. 

"Oh!" Summer shouted, throwing the controller down on the ground. "Look who's kicking your ass now. Finally, I get a little taste of Tony Hawk victory!"

"Yeah, that's great, Summer." Seth replied, dryly.

Summer sat back in the couch and stared at him. "Quit your worrying, Cohen. You worry way too much about Ryan."

"Summer, it's been like three hours since he ran off on me from the Lighthouse!" Seth defended. "He better come home before my parents get in," he stated, getting up and going into the kitchen. "Where do you think he went?" He asked.

Summer followed him into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island. "Who knows…It's Ryan we're talking about here. He could be next door, in Chino or in Canada." Summer joked, trying to brighten up the moment.

"Well, he better show up soon. We're already both in trouble from this morning and he doesn't need this on him." Seth replied.

"Well, he does have a reason to be pissed off, Cohen." Summer said.

"What? The tape recorder?" Seth asked.

"No, Cohen. The restaurant job." Summer rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I'm talking about the tape recorder! Poor guy." She shook her head in pity. "I mean, what would you do if that happened to you?" She asked.

"Well, I'd at least talk about it. I wouldn't run off." Seth replied.

"Cohen, it's Ryan we're talking about here. He doesn't talk."

"I haven't noticed." Seth joked. "So, what else was said on the tape recorder? All you told me was that Oliver said Ryan was a charity case and leftovers. Was that all that was said?" Seth asked.

Summer shrugged. "That's all that Coop told me." Seth walked away from her and went outside, over to the poolhouse. Summer followed him. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm trying to find the tape recorder." Seth replied, looking around the poolhouse.

"Good idea." Summer said and then she began looking around as well.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan wasn't sure how long he had been walking for. He walked in no particular direction. All he knew was that he couldn't go back to the Cohen's house – at least not yet. And of all the nights in Newport, it had decided to rain. The rain poured down on him in sheets as he tried to find himself shelter. Most of the stores were closed around him. It was after nine o'clock. He found a 7/11 that was opened, so he went in there. 

He checked his wallet to see how much money he had on him. He was craving for a cigarette right now and the only pack that he had was in the poolhouse. He pulled out a twenty and bought himself a package of cigarettes from the clerk.

"It sure is raining cats and dogs out there." The clerk commented, handing him back his change.

"Yeah." Ryan smiled at the young clerk and took his change. He went back outside and leaned against the store. He lit up a cigarette and inhaled. Damn, that felt good, he thought to himself. Once he was done his first cigarette he took out another one and quickly smoked it down. 

With his third cigarette in his hand, Ryan walked over towards the payphone and went in. He called the only person he knew would come and get him and not ask so many damn questions. He put in his twenty-five cents and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Luke. It's Ryan." Ryan answered.

"Hey, what's up? Where are you? Seth told me you ran off on him at the Lighthouse. That true?" Luke asked.

Ryan inhaled his cigarette. "Yeah."

"Where are you?" Luke asked again.

"I'm at the 7/11 off Sherwood." Ryan replied.

"I'll come get you, okay?" 

"Sure." Ryan said, shivering. He hung up the phone and took out another cigarette. 

  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seth and Summer sat on Ryan's bed in the poolhouse, Seth's hand clutching onto the tape recorder. They had just listened to it and the room fell silent.

"What an asshole!" Summer commented, referring to Oliver. "Ryan was right about him all along. I can't believe no one believed him." Seth nodded his head in agreement. "So, what are we going to do?" She asked.

"Nothing. What can we do? He ran off on me and when my parents get home, we'll both be in shit." Seth replied, covering his hands over his face.

"Cohen!" Summer pulled his hands away from his face and looked at him. "We have to find him! He's hurting inside and we need to help him. If Marissa can't talk to him, than I can. He needs to know he belongs here. He's one of my friends too, you know." Summer said.

Seth kissed Summer, exploring the insides of her mouth. He pulled away from her and said, "Of all people, Summer Roberts, you just said like three nice things about Ryan in one sentence. I'm surprised."

"It wasn't all in one sentence, Cohen. But it'll do." She replied.

"So, what do I tell my parents?" Seth asked.

"The truth. Show them the tape recorder. They need to know what is wrong with Ryan and that's what's wrong. And if it means –." Summer was cut off by the knock on the poolhouse door. 

Without waiting for an answer, Sandy walked into the poolhouse and looked back and forth between Seth and Summer. "What are you two doing in here? Where's Ryan?" Sandy questioned.

"Uh, Ryan's not here." Seth replied. "He never came back with me to the Lighthouse. He ran off on me."

"Why would he do that?" Sandy demanded. "He knows he's already in a lot of trouble and Seth, why didn't you stop him?" 

"Dad, I did. Well, I tried to stop him."

"Mr. Cohen." Summer spoke up. "Ryan ran off because of this." She took the tape recorder out of Seth's grip and gave it to Sandy. "There's a conversation on it with Ryan and Oliver, right before Oliver shot himself. Obviously it's the cause to all of his problems."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ryan was on his seventh cigarette when he spotted Luke's truck. He ran from the phone booth over to Luke's truck and got in.

"Thanks." Ryan said, running his fingers through his wet hair.

"So, do you want me to take you back to your place?" Luke asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No. Can we just go back to your place?" He asked.

Luke didn't question him. "Sure." They drove back to Luke's house in silence. When they got to his house, Ryan got out of the truck and followed Luke inside.

"Ryan, there you are!" Mrs. Ward said, as soon as she saw him. "Sandy just called here looking for you and he would like you to call him back." 

"Uh…Okay." Ryan replied. "Thanks." He took off his shoes and followed Luke up to his room. He flopped down on Luke's bed and sighed.

Luke threw him a towel and asked, "What happened?"

Ryan wiped his face with the towel. "Do you have anything to drink?" Ryan asked, ignoring Luke's question.

"Ryan, dude, you don't need alcohol in your system right now." Luke replied. "Maybe I should phone Sandy and Kirsten and tell them that you're here." He said, taking his phone out.

"No – Wait." Ryan stopped him. "I don't feel like talking to them right now, okay?" 

Luke put down his phone and went over to his dresser. He took out a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "Here." He handed them over to Ryan. "You might as well get changed into fresh clothes and get out of that soaking wet suit."

Ryan accepted the clothes and went into Luke's bathroom. He quickly changed out of his suit, welcoming the warmth of fresh clothes. He then walked out of the bathroom and into Luke's room. "Thanks." He said.

"No problem. So, you want to tell me what's up?" Luke asked.

Ryan sat on the end of his bed and looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I can go back there." He admitted.

"Why? Did the Cohen's do something?" Luke asked, concern clear in his voice.

"No, the Cohen's didn't do anything wrong. Shit." Ryan sighed. "I just don't…I don't understand why they would want me. I'm just some thug off the streets of Chino. I'm their charity case. Oliver was right, you know. I'm nothing but leftover's and ever since I came to Newport, everyone's lives have been turned upside down."

Luke didn't know where all of this was coming from. "That's not true, man. If anything, Ryan, you came here and saved Marissa's life. I mean, if it weren't for you, I'd still be dating her and cheating on her. And Oliver would probably still be alive and obsessing over Marissa. Don't tell me you are leftover's, 'cause you're not. And the Cohen's didn't take you in 'cause they felt sorry for you. Where are you getting all of this from?" Luke asked.

Ryan shrugged, still looking down at the ground.

They both jumped when the phone rang. Luke quickly answered it before his mother got a chance to.

"Hello?" Luke asked, keeping an eye on Ryan. 

"Luke, it's Sandy Cohen."

"Oh, hey Mr. Cohen." Luke said. Ryan looked up at his and shook his head.

"I'm not here." Ryan whispered, still shaking his head.

"What's up?" Luke asked.

"Luke, have you seen Ryan tonight?" Sandy asked.

Luke could hear the concern in Mr. Cohen's voice. He wanted to tell him that Ryan was here and that he was not thinking straight, but he knew that Ryan was his friend and he needed to protect him. "Uh, no…I haven't seen or talked to him." Luke replied.

Sandy could tell that Luke was lying. "Are you sure?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Luke replied.

"Is he sitting right there with you?" Sandy asked.

Luke closed his eyes, ignoring Ryan glare. He had to tell Sandy. He was worried and Luke was worried himself. "Yeah."

"Is he okay?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll come by and pick him up. Don't let him go anywhere, okay?" Sandy asked.

"Okay, sorry I couldn't help you out, Mr. Cohen. Bye." Luke hung up the phone and opened his eyes.

"Thanks." Ryan said.

Luke smiled at him. "No, problem."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay guys, there's only one more chapter left of this story. So stay tuned and find out what happens.


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

NOTE: I do not own any of these characters… you can thank FOX. If you have any questions or comment you can e-mail me at liverbrain22@hotmail.com

(Thanks for the Reviews!)

Okay, this chapter is really short and sappy. So, read on and please tell me if you liked how I ended this story. I really don't want to end it, but it's been going on and on. I need something new and fresh. I'll start working more on my 'Patience Still Waiting' story. Also, I'm going to start writing my own story at fictionpress, using the same pen name. So, those of you who like my work on the O.C, check out my other stuff. Some of you are asking for a sequel…I'm not sure what I'd write about, but if you have any suggestions feel free to say them! Thanks!

****

Chapter Twenty Nine

__

And the world's got me dizzy again  
You'd think after 22 years I'd be used to the spin  
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place  
So I'm always pacing around,  
And walking away…

I've grown tried of holding this pose  
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home…  
And it all boils down to one quotable phrase  
"If you love something, give it away." 

One foot in front of the other – Bright eyes

"Is it okay if I crash here tonight?" Ryan asked. He was already sprawled out on Luke's bed, looking up at the ceiling. Luke was sitting on his chair at his computer desk.

"Don't you think you should call the Cohen's?" Luke questioned. Ryan still didn't know that Sandy was on his way to pick him up. "You've already worried them like crazy this past month." He added.

Ryan sat up at glared at him. "I don't think I can go back there." He stated.

"Well, you want to tell me why? I'm getting tired of always trying to read you. It's impossible, Ryan." Luke waited for Ryan to say something, but it never came. "What happened tonight at the Lighthouse? And what about the other night at the club?" Luke asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Marissa and I got into a fight about Oliver." He replied, not going any further.

"Okay, so what about the night at the club, Ryan?"

"What about it?" Ryan asked.

"You were piss drunk. You kept on telling me that you had to leave and get out of here. You cried, Ryan, and you told me to leave you there on the side of the road. You said you were nothing but fucking leftovers. What the hell is up with you?" Luke yelled at him.

Ryan shook his head at Luke, trying to control his emotions. He was on the verge of tears again. "I don't remember saying any of that." Ryan whispered.

"Well, you said it and you meant it." Luke replied. "What's up with you?"

"Oliver." Ryan replied, covering his face with his hands. Ryan began explaining his conversation with Oliver the night that he killed himself and shot Ryan. Luke listening tentatively, nodding his head every time Ryan looked up at him. "So, I can't go back and live with the Cohen's." Ryan explained. "I don't belong there. I don't belong here, Luke."

"Shit, Ryan, I didn't know." Luke replied. "But, what you're saying, Ryan, it's not true. You're letting Oliver get to you. You do belong here." Ryan shook his head. "Shit, would you just listen to me?" Luke yelled at him.

"I've already made up my mind." Ryan replied.

"Well, then just listen to me. You can't leave." Luke stated. "Marissa needs you, Seth needs you and I need you. We all need you."

There was a knock at Luke's door.

"It's open." Luke shouted.

Sandy walked into Luke's bedroom. "Ryan."

Ryan got up from Luke's bed and backed away from Sandy. "What are you doing here?" He turned to Luke. "You called him, didn't you? I told you not to."

"Ryan, I had to tell him." Luke replied.

"Come on, let's go home. Kirsten and Seth are worried about you." Sandy said.

"Mr. Cohen." Ryan said. He never called Sandy by his last name. "I don't think I can live with you and your family anymore. I don't belong here."

"Ryan, I know about the tape recorder. Don't listen to Oliver. He was sick and you were right about him. Don't let this eat away at you, like it already has. You're a fighter. You have to fight this." Sandy explained, moving closer to him. "Now, I want you to come back home with me."

Ryan stepped back and folded his arms over his chest. 

"Listen to him, Ryan." Luke spoke up. "We need you to stay here in Newport. Marissa needs you to be there for her and you're Seth's best friend. He would be devastated if you left him. And I need you. You're the only one that understands me. You never stopped being my friend when my Dad came out of the closet. You were there for me then and now I'm here for you."

"You guys don't really want me. I'm from Chino. I've already screwed up." Ryan whispered.

"This is your second chance. How many kids get seconds chances, Ryan?" Sandy asked.

Ryan shrugged.

"Hardly any." Sandy stated. "But, you're lucky enough to have Kirsten and I. We are your guardians. I don't care if you burn down another house, you will always be like a son to me."

Ryan couldn't hold in his tears anymore. The tears started flowing down his burning cheeks. He quickly wiped them away and asked, "How do you know that?" He asked. "You could just not want me one day."

"Boy, you sure do have a thick skull. Maybe next season you should try out for the water polo team." Sandy smirked. "If you leave us, not only will Seth lose his best friend but I will lose a son. So, come on. Let's go home." He stepped closer to Ryan and put his arm around his broad shoulders.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Summer, you're tired. You can go home if you want, I'm okay, really. Ryan should be coming home with my dad." Seth said. Summer was curled up on Ryan's bed in the poolhouse. They were both waiting for Sandy to come home with Ryan.

Summer yawned and then sat up. "You sure?" She asked.

"Yes, positive. I'll see you tomorrow." Seth said and then kissed her on the top of her forehead. Summer smiled at him and then left the poolhouse. All she needed right now was her precious beauty sleep. She cared about Ryan, really she did, but she was exhausted.

Seth went back into the house after Summer left and found his mom sitting in the den watching television.

"Are they back yet?" Seth asked. Just then Sandy walked into the house with Ryan. "Hey…" Seth said, looking Ryan over. "Whoa, what's with the abercrombie and fitch look?" He asked, jokingly.

Ryan looked down at the T-shirt he was wearing. "It's Luke's."

"Yeah, I can tell." Seth replied. 

"Oh, Ryan, are you okay?" Kirsten went up to him and gave him a hug. Ryan awkwardly accepted it and smiled back at her. "Promise me you won't ever run off again? I'd hate to have gray hair at my age." She whispered into his ear and then let go of him. "Okay?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Okay, well it's late boys and you two have to wake up early and help me out at the Lighthouse." Sandy said.

"Crap." Seth mumbled.

"Goodnight, boys." Kirsten said, walking away from them. Sandy followed her upstairs.

"Sorry." Ryan told Seth, as he made his way over to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge.

"No worries. I wasn't worried at all, you know. Are you okay though? I mean, is everything cool? Everything should be cool though, right?" Seth stammered. "I wouldn't want things not to be cool. 'Cause that just wouldn't be cool." He laughed nervously, trying to think of something better to say to Ryan.

Ryan shook his head at Seth. "I – I have no clue what you just said."

Seth scratched his curly brown hair and frowned at him. "Neither do I, Ryan, neither do I."

There was an awkward silence, as Ryan and Seth stared at each other.

"It's cool, Seth. At least, I think it is, or will be." Ryan explained. "Only time will tell."

THE END

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

*Tear* 'tiss the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please check out my other stories; Glory Fades and Patience Still Waiting.

(I can't believe we have to wait another 2 weeks for the O.C.! Insane. *What's this about Luke in a car accident? No!*)


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